Sinbad's biggest secret
by SilverSnowflake9798
Summary: In order to appease her country, Hakuei is sent to a country she's never been to and knows little about. Sindria. But when she's there, she begins to wonder if her being there wasn't so random. King Sinbad seems to know too much about her, while she knows nothing about him. What is Hakuei going to discover in his strange country? And in their even stranger king?
1. Innocent traitor

Innocent traitor

**Hey everyone. I hope you like my new story. Not humor like a lot of my magi stories, (sorry, I wanted to try something new) It's kind of long and complicated. Some chapters won't make sense until the ones in the future come out. Set after Hakuryuu and Judal turn to the light, which I'm hoping they do. Thank you for reading, and enjoy! (I don't own magi…yet. MWAHAHAHAHAH! No, I don't, I just own this story.)**

"What do you have to say for yourself huh? Are you proud of yourself?" the 6th princess of the Kou nation screamed at Hakuei. It took all her willpower to not scream back.

"Why are you yelling at me? I haven't done anything wrong." This only made the princess and her sisters even angrier at their cousin.

"You didn't do anything? Really? What kind of an explanation is that, we all know who your mother is?" Hakuei had to take a deep breath not to yell at her step sister.

Her mother, Gyouken ren, was recently proven to be the leader of the worst criminal organization in the world. Then, to make matters worse, her brother Hakuryuu and oracle Judal tried to start a civil war by killing her. Now she was missing, leaving the Kou Empire in havoc. Yes, they had been able to turn Hakuryuu and Judal back to the good side, but that didn't leave the people happy. They hated Gyouken for what she did, and hated Hakuryuu for hurting so many of the soldiers. But the people all felt it was wrong to hate him, since he was a prince. And Gyouken was missing, so they couldn't do anything about her. The people were angry, and they needed someone to blame.

So why not Hakuei?

To people who didn't know her, it made perfect sense. She was the daughter and sister of the two people that they were angry at. How could she live with them all this time and not realize how evil they were? Maybe she was a monster to. Most people had no problem with blaming her. Not many people liked her before they found out about this. She was a princess who wanted to become a general, completely ignoring the duties of a princess. Unlike most, she was outspoken, hated slavery, and always was trying to get stronger. Those were things that a kou princess should never do. As a friend, she was amazing. But as a princess, she was a failure. Which gave the people a target.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the four of them all spun around to see Kouha, the third prince, running at them with their sister Kougyoku and her brother Hakuryuu on his heels. Kouha was angry, with his sword out and a fire around him. "Leave her be!" at the sight of him the three sisters became afraid. Not wanting to get caught, they hurried away before Kouha could get to them. "Hey! Get back here you cowards!"

"Kouha, its fine. Just leave them be." her youngest cousin glared at her, conveying that it wasn't.

"Those cowards don't even stay around to face up to what they've done," he grumbled, shaking his head. "They just pick a fight when they get the chance, but when they have a chance of losing they run away. The little rats." Kouygoku nodded, but nervously. Even if she was angry at them she didn't want to say anything as harsh as that.

"They are angry Kouha. They have a right to be." Kouha didn't agree, shaking his head. At least she still had some people on her side. All of the princes, Kougyoku, Seisyuun and the Kouga clan, knew that this wasn't fair. They trusted her, she had fought with many of them in a lot of battles. Why would they stop now, just because of something that she couldn't control? "I would want someone to blame if I were them."

"Yeah, but you would blame al-thamen, not someone that was innocent." She couldn't argue with that one. Kougyoku went over and put her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Hakuei smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I am fine. It's alright, it doesn't bother me anymore." In honesty, it had never been too much of a worry. As a princess she was always under criticism. When she was little she grew up almost thought of as the unwanted child, being the only girl and a princess trying to become a general. This wasn't anything new. Besides, those three in particular seemed to love to make a mess of everyone's lives. They were the homecoming queens that no one liked and never grew up.

Turning to her brother her heart fell when she saw him staring at the ground ashamed. "Hakuryuu, this isn't your fault. Don't feel bad." She tried to go over to him but he flinched away.

"Yes it is. If I hadn't gone…"

"Insane?" Kougyoku helped. At her words Hakuryuu became all the more depressed and looked down.

"Yes. If I hadn't lost it and fallen before, no one would be blaming you for this." Hakuei shook her head in an attempt to reassure her brother.

"No, they would be blaming me even if you had done nothing. This isn't your fault, really." Hakuryuu couldn't respond, keeping his eyes trained to the ground. Hakuei wished that her brother wasn't feeling this guilty. Yes, he had done stupid stuff, and yes, he fell. But he came back, and he'd been trying to fix all his mistakes ever since he came back. Part of her wondered if he would be happier if people were blaming him instead of his sister, the one person he really cared about. But they couldn't. In that country, it was considered treason to speak against the prince. But the princess was fair game. Even if he hadn't done anything wrong, a majority of the people who were angry were angry at her mother, so she would be blamed no matter what he did.

Kougyoku also sighed, wishing she could take back what she said but couldn't. Instead she tried to lighten the conversation. "I wish Judal was at least acting as guilty as you are. He's just going around causing mischief and laughing like the whole thing never happened." That did help him. Not what she said, but Judal acting normal. He was the only one who looked on the bright side of the whole thing. The organization who had kidnapped him and killed Hakuryuu's brothers was gone from the kingdom, and he was ecstatic. Finally, he was free. Also he did it out of respect to Hakuryuu, who just wished he had never made the mistake he had. He wanted everything to go back to normal, so he tried to act normal. It didn't help as much as he hoped, but it was something.

"Judal's a different kind of person. I'm sure he's feeling guilty in his own way," Hakuryuu tried to defend him, and Kougyoku just shrugged. She was just happy the worst was over. At least, for the majority of her family. There was still Hakuei to worry about.

She smiled, then turned to the group that had come to help her. "What are you three doing here anyway? I thought that you were going to greet the countries as they came to discuss al-thamen." Since all three of them were generals now, they were included in the discussions from now on. Hakuei should have come, but Kouen and Koumei worried about her safety.

"The meetings are getting boring. And kind of…personal." Hakuei frowned at Kouha.

"What do you mean?" her younger cousin hesitated, glancing at Hakuryuu nervously. He nodded for him to continue, but he did slowly so he didn't say anything wrong.

"They were discussing Hakuryuu and Judal. It was just casual, something to bring up when they had nothing else to talk about, but we decided it was best only brother En and Mei stay for that." Hakuei felt her chest go tight at that thought. It was a discussion she knew was going to be coming, but she hoped it wouldn't come so soon.

"What…options were they considering." Nervously Kouha had opened his mouth to speak, but shut it just as quickly. Even though it was irrational, he felt that when he said their options out loud, they would become inevitable. That wasn't fair.

"They decided not to execute us," Hakuryuu answered for him and they all turned to him. He held his head high, not wanting to back down from whatever punishment he was given. "All the countries agreed to call us on temporary insanity. After they last few months they-well, most of them- have agreed we have proven ourselves not to be a threat anymore. But some wanted us to go to prison for our actions. Some thought that we should be banished from Kou…" he hesitated with that last one. The thought of being forced to leave his country horrified him. It was the last thing he had left of his brothers. But realizing everyone was waiting for him to continue, he shook it off. "Others thought that we should simply have our titles taken away from us. A few number actually wanted to reward us for exposing them and destroying the queens rein. We left before we heard any other theories."

All three of them waited patiently for Hakuei to process the given information. For a few moments she didn't know how to take it. She hoped that her brother wouldn't be banished from his country. It was the same fate that mister Alibaba had, and though he had been able to regain his empire, because of the differences in their situations she didn't think her brother would get that far. Imprisonment wouldn't be that bad. Judal might get very bored, but he'd find ways to keep himself preoccupied. Taking away his title would be hard, but she knew that he could easily work his way up again. Rewarding them was definitely not the right action. It was true that they had exposed the organization, but they almost sent the whole country into civil war, as well as hurt many innocent people along the way. Some of them were still recovering from the mind control of Hakuryuu's djinn, which he had released back to his dungeon as soon as he recovered. Take that all away, she was grateful that her brother wasn't being killed. That, more than anything she couldn't bare.

"That's…good news I guess," she slowly replied. "Better than what I thought it would be." Hakuryuu nodded sheepishly.

"Well, King Alibaba and sir Aladdin stood up for me, and both of them are pretty influential characters." Kouha decided to but in.

"Yeah, even though Alibaba was the one who accidentally spilled the wine all over the leader of the Toran natives robe. The beginning of the meeting was really awkward." Hakuei laughed, and it quickly became contagious as the others began to laugh along with her.

"C-come on guys, let go and get something to eat. I'm sure you are all hungry after your long meeting." She got a lot of reactions out of that.

"Oh yeah, I'm starved!"

"Let's get something yummy, like a dessert!"

"I wouldn't mind some cookies if we have any."

Hakuei laughed at the eagerness of her siblings. "Alright then. I'll see if I have any cookies left." And suddenly, they were all full.

"Er…I'm not that hungry."

"I don't want to ruin my appetite for dinner."

"How about we hold off for a bit." With a huff she put her hands on her hips and glared at them. They all hung their heads in shame, but didn't take back what they had said. They could be really inconsiderate at times. Her food was perfectly fine. But they were safe for now.

"I didn't cook them. Does anyone want to take back their answer?" surprisingly, they all did.

"Yeah, let's get food!"

"I'm sure a few wouldn't hurt."

"Well, if you insist."

"You three are ridiculous," She told them as they all snickered. Turning she led the three of them down the hallway towards her room. "I think I left them in my room. And I am getting better at cooking you know. Seisyuun ate some chocolate that I cooked yesterday and he said that it tasted great!"

"Oh, so that's why he isn't allowed out of the infirmary for the week." Like a child she stuck her tongue out at her younger brother as she approached her room.

They arrived at her room and she reached out to grab the door handle. "Ha ha ha. Very funny Hakuryuu. Just because you can cook the best cake in the country doesn't mean you get to go around telling everyone about it. Just wait, someday I'm going to make a cake better than you, and you'll be sorry."

"I'll believe that when I see," she opened the room and all of them gasped. "It."

Her room was a wreck. All of her drawers were taken out and the contents thrown everywhere. Her bed was torn apart, the blanket she had sewn shred to pieces. Any scrolls that she had had been destroyed, some burned in her fireplace, all of them unreadable. Cloths that had been in her closet were cut with shaky hands, jagged edges revealing the amateur attack. Paintings that had been decorating her room were stolen, and the few that were left were crumpled up into balls. Shelves were broken, weapons scattered on the floor, and even her sewing set was missing. On the mirror, the only thing that had been left in one piece, had writing in black ink that spilled down making the words hard to read. but not impossible.

**Get out of the Kou Empire while you still can, traitor! **

"Cowards!" Kouha shrieked, stomping his foot on the ground. "Who the heck did this? They will pay for this!" his siblings were all to stunned to respond. When they managed to, both Kougyoku and Hakuryuu turned to their sister first, worried about her reaction. She didn't say anything. Her face was stuck in a mask of complete horror, seeing everything that she owned torn to shreds. The painting that she had made when she was younger, weapons she had taken to battle with her, even the dress that she had been given when she was a child. Everything, not a single piece had been spared. At least what she could see.

With shaking hands, she walked over to hear bed, carefully dodging the pieces on the floor in her path. Leaning down, she picked up what was left of the blanket that was on what was left of her bed. It had been torn in two, paint covering it and burned at the edges. She had hoped that it would be alright. She had hoped, maybe, they had missed it.

But she wasn't so lucky. It had been her baby blanket, the first gift her brothers had given her. Neither one of them had known how to sew, so it had become just a messy square at first. But out of guilt, her brother Hakuyuu had learned to sow so that he could fix it. When Hakuei got older, he had taught her to. Over the years the two of them had worked together on it, trying to fix it and make it better. By then it was a large blanket, far too big for the bed itself. It was one of her favourite namesakes of her brother. But now, all those years of work.

Was gone.

"Who did this?" Kouha yelled again, enraged by the sight. "Was it my sisters? I'll make them pay for this!"

"It couldn't have been them Kouha," Hakuryuu said numbly. The guilt that he felt while looking at the scene was crashing down on him. It took all his strength to contain it. "This took too long. They ran away only a few minutes ago." Kouha didn't respond, a look of vengeance in his eyes.

"Someone has to pay! I'm going to tell Emperor Kouen, we won't let them get away with this!" turning on his heels, he ran out the door before anyone could stop him.

"Brother Kouha, wait-"

"Let him go Kougyoku," Hakuei told her. She sounded so dead, so defeated it made them want to cry. Both of the others turned to see her, but she hadn't moved from her position. Her eyes were locked on the blanket in front of her, tears threatening to pour out. "It won't matter whether Kouen hears about this or not. He won't be able to find who did this. They left no evidence behind." They didn't bother to tell her that they hadn't even looked. They knew Hakuei didn't need to hear that.

Hakuryuu, trying to find a bright side, walked over to where her sister sat. Getting down on his knees he went under the bed to see if there was anything left. Luckily a small wooden box had been spared. In it was her djinn, a map of the stars she had her elder brother had made, a pair of masks she and Hakuryuu had made, a hat Hakuren used to wear all the time, and the certificate proving she was a general. "At least they didn't get everything." It took her a moment to look away from the crushed memories in her hands. At the sight that something was still intact she gave a small smile. Reaching out Hakuryuu handed the box to her and she hugged it to her chest.

Stomaching her emotions, she stood up. "…It looks like I'm not going to be able to stay in my room for a while. Let's see if there's another place I can stay." Her two siblings glanced at each other, then turned back to pay attention to Hakuei.

Kougyoku came up with a suggestion. "I-If you want you can stay in my room. Until they fix your room that is," she added to try and encourage her, but Hakuei shook her head.

"Thank you for offering, but think about it. They will probably try to destroy your room if I stay there." Kougyoku wanted to tell her that it wasn't a problem, but Hakuryuu gave his own advice first.

"How about you stay with the Kouga nation for a while? You can trust all of them, and they stay up late to protect," he stopped when Hakuei glared at him. His sister didn't like being protected. Even if it was necessary, she thought it made her vulnerable. It wasn't just weak, but being vulnerable was one of her greatest fears. She couldn't stand that. "-Make sure no one comes into your tent." It wasn't a bad idea. She missed her friends from the tribe, since she didn't get to see them very much anymore.

"That sounds fine. I guess I'll get," but looking around, there was nothing of hers she could get. All she owned was with her or in that one box that she held. Everything. All of what she owned. "…I suppose I'll just go get them." without another word, she placed the box on her bed, walked past her silent siblings and into the hallway. Heading down the hall on her way to the area of land that was set of for their tribe, Kougyoku got up to follow but was stopped by Hakuryuu.

"Wait. We should let her have some time along."

"But she-"

"She doesn't look mad, but she is. And I think she needs some time to let out some steam." She opened her mouth to object, but slowly closed it again. Hakuei was his sister, she would know her better. Standing up, he asked her, "Do you mind helping me look to see if there is anything left? Maybe there are some scrolls that they missed." She nodded, and hurried to search through the wreckage. Glass was spilled everywhere, and it was only thanks to her long dress that she wasn't cut. Still standing her cousin walked over to the bed, and picked up the box she had forgotten. Glancing over, he saw the blanket that had been torn, and held it up to examine it further. Shaking fingers ran over the cloth gingerly, the yarn splintering with every touch.

"…This was her favourite…"

Loud footsteps echoed through the hallways as Hakuei headed walked through. The Kouga tribe was in the other direction, and she knew that. But judging from the way that her hands were shaking she guessed that she wasn't in any mood to be speaking to them. Blood was pulsing through her veins in anger, so much so that she couldn't hear the few people walking around her. In the distance she noticed a few people watching her, but she didn't pay them any mind. As she continued to walk the number of people began to become less and less, until she found that the sound of her footsteps was the only thing to be heard. Once she realized that she stopped. Spinning on her heals, she headed over to the side of the hallway. Underneath a large window that gave a look of the garden that was now vacant was a small bench made of stone, old and cracked over time. Hakuei headed over to the wall next to it.

And punched the wall.

"OW!" she shrieked, her calls echoing through the hallway. Biting her tongue to keep herself from yelling she hugged her hand to her chest, waiting for the throbbing to stop. It had turned a little red, with a few small cuts to add on to her scars she already bared. But she didn't stop, and angrily she allowed herself to kick the wall with her feet, again and again until her toes started to numb. Once or twice she even punched it again, but since she had nothing covering her hands the pain was worse for them. "Stupid, stupid jerks! Idiots, bullies, monsters, creeps!" she yelled at the wall in her anger, even allowing a few curses to spill out as she did. For a long time she just stayed there, punching and kicking at the wall that didn't even flinch at her pain. "What did I do? That was my brothers, my favourite one!" no one answered her questions as she kicked at the wall again and again. When she was finally out of steam she rested on the bench, pulling her knees up to her chest. Folding her arms on her knee she dipped her head so that it was covered by her arms and hair and just, breathed.

She used to do this a lot more, when she was younger. As a princess, she wasn't supposed to show any anger or…'distasteful' emotions in public places. But she had a temper, and was very outspoken. So Hakuyuu had found other ways for her to get her anger out, which included finding a secret spot to vent. Many times she came down there, hiding from everyone as her anger took over. Back then, her brother had grown to disapprove of it. After she had gotten very angry her hands would bleed and she would be in the infirmary for days. He wished that she could just be honest about she felt, at least to someone. Often he allowed her to vent to him, screaming at the air while he would quietly listen, or find a punching dummy for her to attack until she was too tired to move. After he passed, she had no one else to speak to help her anymore. Over time she began to contain her emotions better, though she was still very outspoken and bluntly honest to people. Punching the wall was just hurting her, and finding a punching dummy was no longer an option because of all the people there. So this was her only option.

Traitor of Kou? No, she wasn't one. She had never done anything but try to help her people, even if they didn't see it. Freeing slaves, finding more soldiers, making friends with other nations, standing up for the lesser people's rights, she did all she could. And what did they do? They hated her. They destroyed everything that she owned, hurt her family, yelled and avoided her in the hallways. Part of her wished that it was only because they didn't see what she was doing. But that wasn't it. They saw how she was trying.

That meant that either they didn't care, or hated her for it.

The last one was more likely. What she did was to defend people that the majority didn't care about. The rich, powerful, people that mostly roamed the palace were completely against her ideals. Not to mention a princess, completely ignoring what a princess was really supposed to act like. Polite, quiet, obedient, submissive, charismatic. Or as Hakuei liked to call it, naïve, weak, pawns, 'perfect little china dolls.' She wasn't any of those things. She never wanted to be. Everyone else expected her to be. Now the actions that her mother and brother had done just fueled their hatred. Gave them a more justifiable cause to hate her, 'the witch's daughter.' How long would this continue? For her whole life all that people did was seem to point out the flaws in her, picture her as a worthless mistake. For how long? Would they ever accept her? And if they didn't, what then? Would she ever find a place that she could call home, that she could trust people, that she could be herself? Where? When? How much longer?

After debating these topics in her head, slowly the anger that she held began to die away. Sighing she looked up and out the window, checking to see how long she had been waiting there. It was still sunny outside, but it had gotten a little darker. She judged about an hour had passed. Maybe more. As she was about to move, she placed her feet on the ground and pain shot upwards. Wincing she pulled them back up on the bench. They would take some time before she felt well enough to walk in them. It might get dark by then, and she doubted she would get to the Kouga tribes area before they were all asleep. Curse the overly populated and far too large palace. Groaning she lay back on the bench, deciding that she could spend the night on the bench. She had done it before, as long as no one decided to walk past. But she doubted anyone would. The only way that hall went to was the dungeons, and as far as she knew, there was no one there. Pulling up against the wall she pulled her head up to rest her chin and arms on the ledge of the large hole in the wall she called a window, watching the scene outside of it.

It was just the garden, mostly. Lots of flowers, a few trees, and pathways for people to walk through. Above that was the clear sky that slowly began to darken, showing off the stars that danced and gleamed in all their glory. The sight made her want to smile, but she was just too tired. What is interesting though was what was right across from the window she looked out. The garden that she watched was surrounded by buildings, so across from her was another hallway. This one had no windows, but the walls were very short, and the roof was very high. Some said that they were windows, but like the one that she looked out, had no glass or insulation to them at all. When she was little Hakuei preferred to think of them as the 'perfect place to meet.' It was sarcastic of course, since in reality it wasn't perfect for whoever was meeting there, but a dream for her. She could see and hear whatever the passerby was saying, which made it perfect if she ever needed to eavesdrop on others. As a little girl she heard a lot of gossip she shouldn't have heard as a princess. In fact, she had been the first one to hear about the newest princess Kougyoku, when she accidentally overheard the old emperor arguing with her mother. Once she had discovered the true nature of her cousin Koumei's sleeping habits, when he fell asleep there and stayed there for longer than she did.

As she stayed there, not many people passed through that hall. A few servants talking about which of the visiting kings were more attractive. Some soldiers arguing over who had better aim with the bow and arrow. Once a few children came running through trying to be the first to get the runaway cat that screeched through the hallway. She sat there, listening to them all, allowing their words to dull into just a low sound. It was calming, the ease of which the people would talk. As if they didn't have a care in the world. Slowly she pulled her head away from the ledge and simply leaned against the wall, allowing the thought of sleep to take over her.

Until someone new came along.

"I really don't know about this my king," a voice Hakuei did not recognize spoke in the hall. Carefully, she looked over the edge just enough so that she could catch a glance. "Are you sure you want to go this far?"

"Yes, I'm sure," the man's companion, or king as he called, responded to him. His voice was much deeper, almost melodic with the natural way he spoke. Just like all kings did, with authority and confidence.

"Your highness, I strongly advise you to recall your judgement," another voice replied. "This isn't a good idea, for you especially. Considering your…history, don't you think this will just bring you pain?"

"Of course I have considered that," the man at the head told him, though Hakuei had to strain to get a good view. The whole group was just entering the hallway, and there view was blocked by a group of trees with branches hanging too low. Considering that she didn't know them, maybe it would have been better for her to try and drone them out, and not listen to their conversation. It probably had no interest to her anyway.

Then again, she was incredibly bored, and always wanted to find out who was residing in the palace. Her curiosity to hear what was going on had been the bane of her brother's existence when she used to try and sneak into the meetings. Pulling herself up so that she was on her knees, she used her hands to hold her up and strained to try and see around the trees.

The man continued, "But after this long…all this time, and I really can't take it anymore. It's just been too long. And this is the perfect time for me to set things straight." The man who had spoken before sighed, while the other man remained silent.

"Your majesty, I understand this is something that has been bothering you for years, but is now really a good time? With al-thamen, and the Kou Empire in a wreck…" Her heart tightened at the reality of this strangers words. Her country was in a wreck. And it would take forever for her to help rebuild it.

"No, that is the exact reason why this is the best time," the leader argued, and Hakuei shot up. Was this going to be an attack on her country? What was this stranger planning? As the three continued to walk closer and closer, Hakuei waited impatiently for them to emerge so she could discover her possible enemy. Of course, she could be overreacting. Many countries have tried to help her country in the havoc, or tried to make stronger treaties with them. Either way, she felt it was her duty to discover who this was, and decide for herself.

But then the footsteps abruptly stopped.

"My king?" the one man asked curiously. There was no response, and Hakuei slipped over to the other edge of the bench to see what had happened. Still, the strangers couldn't be seen. She almost wanted to leave her spot and run after them to see the face to face, but she knew that by the time she got there they would be long gone. Annoyed, with her eyes she searched through the branches, hoping to steal at least a glance at the group. There feet could be seen if she looked over the wall, two pairs covered by cloaks and the other pair sporting brown leather sandals. There were edges of white cloaks, the gleam of golden armour, and the small outline of short white hair. Frustrated, she leaned closer, her legs on the bench the only thing keeping her from falling off the edge. _Why have they stopped, _she wondered. _There was no reason to, what were they talking about? Did their king think of someth- _but even her thoughts were cut short as her eyes widened at the sight she saw through the trees.

A pair of golden eyes had caught her.

She gasped, and slipped down to hide under the ledge. Her breathing became erratic, and her heart raced in her chest. _Calm down, calm down, _she tried to tell herself. This wasn't something Hakuei had ever planned for. No one ever saw here hiding up there. No one even looked in that direction, so used to all the empty hallways that they assumed no one was there. But this stranger had noticed. Her secret place had been discovered. What if he came up there? The last spot of privacy that she had would be taken from her, her only hideout left. Forcing herself into silence, she waited, trying to hear what their next actions would be. For a moment, there was nothing. Then she heard the sound of footsteps, walking in the other direction. Hakuei's didn't dare to look up as the sound got softer and softer and softer…when she finally thought they were gone, she heard the king give one last comment.

"I will not back down on this. It's set and done."


	2. Sent Away

Sent Away

When Hakuei woke up, she woke to the feeling of the sun on her face. Tossing in her bed, she tried to convince herself to stay in the bed, that the sun would die away so she could go back to sleep.

And accidentally fell off the edge. "Oof!"

Groaning, she pulled herself up from the cold floor as the previous day's events crashed down on her. Her room had been torn in two, everything she owned destroyed. There was a large meeting with all of the kings and generals going on at that moment, and she was not invited. And because of the state of her room, she had been forced to hide in the bench in the abandoned hallway. And someone had seen her.

From the fact that she was still there, she guessed that the one who had discovered her hadn't come up to check on her. At least she still had that. Pulling herself up she checked her feet to see if they were still sore. Some of her toes had a few bruises, but she knew that she was going to be fine. Carefully, she pulled herself unto a standing position, making sure she was able to walk. Really she wanted to go back to the bench and rest, but she worried that her brother would have told the Kouga tribe to expect her, and they would get nervous if she hadn't come. She didn't want any of her friends to worry.

With that in mind, she left her fortress of solitude and headed through the hallways on search of her siblings. Or anyone really, since she needed to catch up on what had happened. She had hoped she would have woken up earlier to stop any alarm, but the sun was so bright she knew she had overslept. As she continued walking though, she found the hallways to be mostly empty. For a long time, she walked alone, her feet echoing too loud for a normal day in the palace. Perhaps something had happened?

As she continued walking though, she quickly realized that it was breakfast. The first group of people she found was a group of servants all eating their meal in peace. When she passed, they all turned to her, but she kept her head held high and walked on, not wanting to cause an alarm. Eventually as she continued walking a few more people emerged, eating meals in groups and chatting among themselves. Normal for that time of day.

But as she continued, yet again she wondered if there was something wrong. As she passed, more and more people looked at her. They all watched her and whispered things to each other, worrying Hakuei. Was there something on her cheek? Or perhaps they had found out about the state of her room. It was only inevitable, but she had thought it would have taken longer. She never was very lucky though.

"Yo, it's my king's sister!" she yelped as a braid cut into her vision and she stumbled back. Floating upsidown in the air was Judal, who laughed at her as she fell. "Wow, did you just wake up? Come on princess, you need to be more observant!" Hakuei growled under her breathe. Everyone knew not to bother the princess in the morning. But also because of the way that he referred to her brother. Even though the two of them were no longer working together to take over the country, Judal still considered Hakuryuu his chosen king. All it did was bring guilt to Hakuryuu at the memories, and she fervently wished Kougyoku would convince him to stop.

"What are you doing Judal?" He blinked at her.

"What I do every morning. Annoy the easiest people to annoy." She glared at him.

"Why don't you try being a normal person for one day and give people there space?" he seemed to consider the idea, than shrugged.

"Nah. That sounds boring." Slipping down so that he was standing next to her he held out his hand and offered her a cookie. Even though she didn't trust Judal, she was starving and took the food. Judal laughed and followed her down the hallway, waiting for her to finish her food before speaking.

Once he did, he offered an interesting piece of information. "Hey, have you noticed all the people starting at you today?" at his words she glanced at a nearby group. They all quickly turned back to their food, feigning innocence.

"What was your first clue?" he ignored the question.

"Well it's not just you. Ever since late last night the servants have been whispering about stuff. It was just a few at first, but then it continued till it was all of them. As far as I know, they're whispering something about you, me and my king."

Hakuei froze. "Hakuryuu?"

"That's what I said." She didn't pay attention to him. The fact that they were talking about Hakuryuu and Judal more than before meant that something might have been decided in the meeting. Just yesterday Kouha said that they were deciding what to do with them. Had they come up with their decision? If they were talking about her, it was only because everyone currently associated her with the issues at hand.

"Hey, wait up will you!" Hakuei ignored him, running through the hallways on her way to her brother's quarters. If something was happening to him…if they had made a decision about him, she had to be there to support him. "Slowdown will yah? Hakuryuu ain't in his room, he's down in the gardens!" at that she hurried to a stop, causing Judal to accidentally pass her in his rush. Before he could catch up to her she hurried in the other direction to find the gardens. "Yeesh, what the heck? Where's the fire princess?" his words meant nothing to her as she continued to run. People stared unashamed at her as she ran past, the strange princess running through the hallways. Her hair must have been a wreck, but she didn't pay any mind. She had to find her brother.

Only when she found him did she allow herself to breath. "Hakuryuu!" her brother looked up from his meal, along with the other people with him. Along with him was Aladdin, Kougyoku and Morgianna. She guessed that King Alibaba was still in the meeting, and judging from the look on her sister's face, she was too sleepy to stay in there much longer. The three of them were eating what looked like was Hakuryuu's famous homemade Chocolate chip pancakes, if eating was what you would call it. Aladdin was wolfing the food down faster than a cheetah.

Hakuryuu blinked up at his sister and Judal confused. "What's wrong Nee-saan? Is everything alright?" at the sight of him there, enjoying a meal with his friends Hakuei was able to calm down.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Hakuryuu looked puzzled, but decided to go with it. Judal and her walked over and took a spot next to them, Judal grabbing a few pancakes as he did. Aladdin offered her a few but Hakuei didn't want half as much syrup on her as he had put on. "Sorry for the alarm," Hakuei apologized as she was given a pancake by Morgianna. "Judal had said that they had decided what to do with you and him, and I…got worried." at her words Hakuryuu stopped eating and frowned.

"They decided? We haven't heard anything. Does it sound like…bad news?" everyone at the meal turned to stare at Judal, who had already managed to finish off three small pancakes. Boy, magi's certainly had a big appetite.

"Mm, I'm not sure what they decided," Judal told them with food still in his mouth. "M'all I know is that the servants have been whispering about a decision and they keep staring at the three of us. Come on my king you must have noticed. Please tell me you are more observant than that." Hakuryuu shook his head at the nickname that Judal gave him.

"Please don't call me that anymore Judal. And yes, I have noticed, but they have been watching me ever since I returned. Today there was more, but I thought maybe that it was because we were mentioned in the meeting. I didn't think that they had made a decision yet." Judal just shrugged again, and turned away from the group to cut off the conversation. Hakuei let her heart relax and took a bite of the pancakes. They tasted like heaven!

"Well considering that you are both still here, I'm going to guess that they haven't decided anything. If they had, cousin Kouen would have come to get us-"

"Hakuryuu, Judal."

"Yeah like that." Pause. "Drat."

They all turned to see the Kou emperor, as well as his advisor Koumei, walking over to them. Koumei looked nervous, and for the first time in, possibly his whole life, fully awake and aware. Kouen's normal expression hadn't changed too much. But there was something in his eyes that any close to him could understand the meaning. Something bad was about to happen. "If the two of you don't mind, we need to speak to you two for a moment."

Hakuryuu turned pale and turned to Judal. The other three all watched them nervously, waiting to see what the decision would be. But Hakuryuu knew that he couldn't put this off. Grabbing his staff, he pulled himself to his feet. "Yes, Emperor Kouen." Judal followed suit, grumbling as he did. Watching the two of them getting up broke Hakuei's heart, and she knew she couldn't wait to hear the outcome.

"C-cousin Kouen, if you don't mind I would like to come to," she tried to persuade him. "I'm his older sister, I have every right to hear what the assembly's decision was,"

"Alright."

"I won't argue with whatever the decision is, and I won't-wait, what?" Hakuei's joy began to bubble inside of her after he said that, but as soon as he saw his face hers fell. His normal expression had changed to one of regret.

"Unfortunately sister…we need to speak with you as well."

"…what?"

….

The next place the group found themselves was in Emperor Kouen's office. Not his big one that he did business with other countries, but his small study that only people he invited came. The fact that they were there meant that he wanted to personally be the one to tell them of the decision that had been made. And he wanted to be sure they had privacy for whatever their reaction was. Hakuryuu and Hakuei looked at each other when this dawned on them, but the siblings said nothing, waiting for their leader to speak before saying any judgments out loud. Kouen sat in his chair with Koumei standing beside him. Their two cousins stood respectfully while Judal floated, Hakuei standing a little behind them since the three of them thought that she wasn't a part of the decision.

"Before I tell you what happened," Kouen began. "I just want you to know I did all I could to make this situation the best I could for you." Hakuryuu and Judal looked at each other nervously. That most likely meant that even though he had done all he could, there was nothing he could do.

"We understand Cousin Kouen," Hakuei answered for them. "What is it that the council decided on?" cautiously her two cousins turned to each other before answering her. She noticed the way that Koumei looked at them. Like he was trying to take in the whole scene, making sure he wouldn't forget. Making sure he wouldn't forget them.

"Looking on the bright side, you aren't being executed. Though I suppose you knew that already." Both of them nodded, the Judal seemed a bit happier about that then before. "They are also not taking away your position as the fourth prince and the oracle of our nation. You will not be imprisoned, or banned as a traitor." Hakuryuu breathed out a sigh of relief. He was able to keep his title as prince. He could remain as a prince in the country his brothers left him. Judal didn't seem to mind either way, but he was happy he wasn't being put in prison. Those rats were so gross, and he hated the food.

"And…the bad news?" Kouen paused before he answered Hakuryuu's question. And when he did, his voice was full of pity…or possibly regret.

"They don't want you to remain in the Kou Empire. They don't trust you two, and until al-thamen has been brought to justice, they want the two of you to stay out of the Kou Empire where you can't cause damage to our nation." That didn't seem like the perfect plan.

"But I'm just going to destroy stuff everywhere I go," Judal countered. Everyone glared at him but he didn't even flinch. By then, he was used to all the glares.

"I was getting to that," Kouen told him. "Since they don't trust the two of you, they are giving you a master." Both of them flinched.

"…master, emperor Kouen?" he nodded at Hakuryuu, trying to show as much support as he could.

"Yes. Koumei, the bracelets." Koumei, who was silent the whole time, reached into his pocket and pulled out iron bracelets. They were finger width, the perfect size for each of them. If they looked closely they saw that there was a design on it, magic runes written in red. "These bracelets will give your masters control over you. Whenever they say, 'I command,' you will have to do what they say. It is a precaution that the council agreed will ensure that neither of you will attack another nation."

"So basically, we are slaves?" Judal broke the tension, outraged. "I'm not going to be a slave to anyone!"

"You're not slaves Judal," Koumei reassured him. "It's a precaution,"

"Oh we all know we might as well be. If those bracelets can control our every action, what freedom do we have? Even if we aren't slaves, were prisoners at best!" neither of them argued against that last one. Hakuei was horrified at the idea. She didn't want her brothers every action to be put in the charge of a stranger. He deserved his freedom. If he got a bad master, than he would be able to use Hakuryuu to hurt people, or do whatever he wanted.

"Brother, can we trust whoever is in charge of them though? Both of them are incredibly strong, and they might use their powers for their own ambitions." Kouen nodded, having already thought about this predicament.

"The council already discussed this Hakuei-san. We trust…Hakuryuu and Judal's masters very much." Judal frowned at the hesitation.

"Hey wait, what's that supposed to,"

"I accept." Everyone turned to face Hakuryuu, determination set on his face. After a moment of pause he looked up at the group, looking his leader dead in the eye. "I realize now what I had done was wrong. Whatever my punishment is, I will accept it until I can gain my countries trust back."

"Hakuryuu…" He turned to his sister and gave her a small smile.

"This is something I need to do. I got obsessed with power and tried to take over. Taking it away…maybe it will help me get a fresh perspective again." Opening her mouth she wanted to protest, but quickly decided against it. Her brother was right, he needed to fix his mistakes. It made her proud, to see her brother humbling himself to others. And though she wished it didn't happen like it did, at least he learned something very valuable in the process of falling. Judal on the other hand just rolled his eyes, grumbling over his breath that he wished he could go back to having black rukh again.

Kouen gave his cousin a small smile, proud of him as well. "Good. But don't worry, your master is someone you can trust. If not him, I'm sure that his magi will keep you safe." the group paused. _His magi? _Standing up, Kouen took the bracelet that was made for Hakuryuu and walked over to him. Hakuyruu held out his arm firmly, and he put the bracelet on him. It snapped shut with a click, and Hakuryuu winced at the pain.

"Your master is going to be king Alibaba from Balabaad. You will be leaving to his country in a week." At the name of his new master both he and his sister lit up. Thank goodness, it was Alibaba. Not only did Hakuryuu know him, but he trusted him completely. The worst that he would make him do would humiliate him a bit. And he would even have Aladdin and Morgianna to help him. Hakuei was happy that her brother was going to be in good hands, ones that would support him now that he needed them the most.

Judal didn't even seem to notice. "How is Alibaba his leader? Can't that bracelet make it that anyone can boss him around?" well wasn't that a positive thought. Kouen shook his head as he went back to pick up Judal's bracelet.

The red liquid in the bracelets is the blood of your master. It's magically enhanced so that only they can order you what to do." Judal jumped back.

"So I'm going to have my master's BLOOD all over my hands? Oh, gross!" at the thought Hakuryuu became pale and began fingering the bracelet consciously. The image made Hakuei giggle a little and she patted her brother on the shoulder as Kouen walked over to Judal. At first he squirmed, very uncomfortable with the idea, but even Judal has to give in sometimes.

With an exaggerated groan he held out his arm and Kouen clicked the bracelet on him. He cursed a bit when it shocked him and mumbled at the pain. "Judal, your master is going to be Yunan the magi. He says that the two of you can leave whenever you are ready." The master that he was given picked the interest of all of them in the room. The mysterious magi? Judal must have known him, but as far as they knew Yunan preferred to be on his own. Perhaps he wanted to be sure for himself that Judal wouldn't fall again, since they were both fellow magi.

Judal pondered the idea. "That old guy? Well…could be worse I guess…always wanted to give the Dark Continent a visit anyway." Hakuryuu added a mental note to ask Judal later what it was like so that he could tell Morgianna about it. Satisfied with the way that it had all turned out, he turned to Koumei to tell him that he could relax. But stopped speaking in his tracks.

"Koumei…why do you have another bracelet?" the other four turned to the prince, three of them confused as to why he was holding another metal bracelet with red decorating the outside. Kouen was the only one who wasn't confused, and he immediately sobered his expression back to normal. Walking back over, instead of taking the bracelet he took a seat in his chair once again. It looked like he thought that they still had a lot to discuss.

"That bracelet…is why I invited you." At first, no one understood. Judal and Hakuryuu looked at their bracelets wondering if they only had one part to the contraption, and instead they needed two. But the device looked perfectly fine, and though there was no way to tell, they guessed they were working. Then Hakuryuu realized that he wasn't talking to them. And both of them froze. Slowly, the two of them turned to see the Hakuei standing behind them.

"…Me?"

"My sister?" Hakuryuu almost yelled, for the first time during that discussion showing anger. "You're sending my sister away as well? You can't do that, she didn't do anything!" Kouen and Koumei didn't look very pleased with the idea either. The difference was, they spoke for it instead of against it. They wished it was the other way around.

"It is the council's decision. The people of our country don't trust her, and they believe she shouldn't be here to cause problems as well." There was almost a tone of sarcasm in his voice with that last part, but it was overshadowed by the anger he was trying to subdue. Hakuryuu wasn't as in control of his emotions as he was.

"But she didn't do anything! She's a general of this country, she's in charge of the Kouga people, and she has to stay!" Neither of them responded, so Judal spoke up.

"Hey Kouen, even I've got to admit that's messed up. Miss-unable-to-cook-anything-but-poison here didn't even know about our attack until after it happened. She didn't even believe that her mom was the leader of al-thamen, how could she have done anything wrong?" Hakuei stood in the background, frozen to their words. The only thing that she was able to process was, _he knows I have a name, right? _

"We tried to tell them that," Koumei spoke up, after being silent for most of the time. "But a few…one of the kings made some compelling arguments. And though we trust you, we have no proof that they accepted to prove you weren't working with the organization." _One king, _Hakuei repeated in her mind before Hakuryuu started yelling again.

"But that's not fair! What reason would Hakuei have to hurt this country, she's been trying to protect it for years! You can't just…give her away like a slave! You can't just sell off my sister!" Koumei started to argue that they weren't making her a slave, but Kouen spoke up first.

"I understand that this isn't fair Hakuryuu. But the people don't trust Hakuei. Just yesterday they destroyed her room didn't they?" her heart lurched at the memory of the destruction in her room. She hadn't gotten over that yet. "This way there will be no more attacks on the palace. Hakuei will be safer as well,"

"I can take care of myself," Hakuei finally spoke up, more to herself that to them. "And I can't leave. What about the Kouga people, and the other nations that I have sworn to protect in the name of the Kou Empire? I can't do that if I am to leave to another country."

Kouen shook his head, trying as hard as he could to contain his anger for their sakes. "Until you get back, Kougyoku and Kouha have promised to make sure to watch over them." If she ever came back.

"I mean no disrespect to my siblings your majesty, but some of their leaders will only talk to me. I was the one who personally promised them my protection, how will they react when they find out that they have a new leader whom they have never met before?" Kouen had no response, and only then did Hakuei notice his hands were shaking in anger. He was upset about this as well. But to upset for his normal attitude.

"It's too late," Koumei told them all. "The decision has already been made, thanks to that king," he snarled his last word, almost biting off his own tongue when he tried to stop himself. Judal noticed it though.

"That king?" he asked. "What king?"

Koumei didn't answer, so Kouen answered for him with his voice full of authority and false composure. "The king that was the one to argue that she couldn't be trusted. I'm sorry, but the council has already made their choice, and the preparations have already been made. There is nothing that I can do. You leave with your master tomorrow morning." Her heart was racing in her chest, and she knew she would have to go and find a training dummy to destroy before the day was over. Tomorrow? So soon? And working with someone who trusted her so little from the sounds of it? She didn't know any king who she trusted that would be willing to take her for who knows how long. In fact, minus the ones from her country, she really didn't know many kings. Why would this stranger do this? Judging from her siblings reactions, she didn't think it was someone that they trusted.

"Who is my master?"

…..

Hakuei stared up at the ship in front of her, a lump forming in her throat. It felt like she had only blinked and it was the next morning. It was time for her to leave to her new life who knows where.

Her siblings were all there, preparing to see their sister off. Kouha was absolutely outraged at the idea, even more so than Hakuryuu. But after a whole night of raging and fighting, they were finally able to convince him that he couldn't change the reality of what was happening. AKA, they got him drunk so that the next morning his head hurt too much to argue. Kougyoku, the only one who hadn't said goodbye already, hesitantly walked over to her sister. Carrying a small bag filled with various items she offered it to her.

"U-um…here's what wasn't destroyed in your room." Hakuei turned, and smiled at her sister. The smile was to try and mask the growing horror that she felt with every moment. Forcing herself to stop shaking, she reached out and grabbed the bag offered to her. Inside was a few cloths, some scrolls, some lotions, and the pieces of her blanket. Kougyoku hadn't been sure if she should give her a reminder of what had happened, but she thought having a part of it was better than having nothing. That, the wooden box that Hakuryuu had found, her djinn, some gifts that her family and friends had given her the day before were the only things that Hakuei had to remind her of the life she was leaving behind. And knowing how tricky that al-thamen could be, probably the life that she would never see again.

With a nod she smiled at her sister again, tossing the bag across her shoulder. "Thank you very much Kougyoku. And please take care of the Kouga nation while I am gone." Her sister nodded nervously. Awkwardly she gave her a quick hug, then hurried back to her family. She was never good with sad goodbyes. Hakuei wasn't either, so she was glad that she had left. Perhaps it was a family thing.

Hakuryuu, even though he had already said goodbye, came over to his sister. The two of them gave each other a quick hug, letting go quickly so that the edges of her box wouldn't hurt him. "I…I hope I'll see you again," Hakuei told him nervously, trying not to let her fear show. Hakuryuu smiled and put his hand on his sister's shoulder, trying to support her.

"Don't worry Nee-saan. Our other siblings may not trust your master very much, but I met him before. He's a good person, and I know he won't hurt you." Hakuei wasn't so sure, and all she was able to manage was a quick nod. Her brother hugged her once again, before turning and heading back to his family. Leaving Hakuei standing alone.

Not for very long though.

"Miss Hakuei?" she turned to find a women smiling at her. "Hi, I'm going to be your guide for our country. Is that all you have?" she nodded, unable to say anything out loud. "Really? I thought that a princess would have more. Well, I guess it's up to you." The blue haired woman smiled, than referring to the boat, she gave her a big smile.

"My name is general Yamuriha, but you can call me Yamu. I will be your guide when we arrive in Sindria."

**Hi people. so that people aren't left in confusion, I'm going to try and post a new chapter every Friday unless something happens. Might post one or two early for Christmas. **


	3. Sindria

Sindria

Hakuei watched the waves roll by in silence, consumed by nothing but her thoughts. The direction that she was staring was the place that her country had been just a day or two ago. When they left, she hadn't looked away until the country was completely out of sight. Now it was so far away, they were in the middle of the ocean. Hakuei hadn't even been in a boat this big before. How was she going to survive in a country surrounded by water?

"Did you stay here all night?" the ex-princess turned to see her guide, Yamu, emerging from the lower decks with a loud yawn. "Wow, aren't you tired? Do you want something to eat?" she did, but she wasn't sure that she could stomach anything. Instead she just shook her head and turned back to the ocean. Yamu walked over to her so that she was at her side.

"I'll see if I can get the chefs to make you something later. Do you want to talk at all? Or…sleep?" this girl seemed as unfamiliar with this situation as she was. Hakuei had nothing against this women, so she turned and gave her a polite smile.

"No, I am alright. I did sleep, but I came back up here when I woke up. The view is…nice." Honestly, it was beautiful. Hakuei had never been completely surrounded by water, with no land in sight. At first it had been terrifying, but once she had gotten used to it she grew to enjoy it.

"Yeah, I guess so. You kind of get used to it in Sindria, since we are surrounded by water." That little piece of information caused a small wave of relief to appear in her ocean of worry. Oh boy, she was on a ship for only a few days and she was already using water metaphors. People would start to get annoyed with her very quickly if she said any of them out loud. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it after a while." And just like that, her relief was washed away. Gah, again? After a while. She hoped she wouldn't be there long enough for her to become accustom to it. "Do you have any questions for me? About our country at all?" In truth she has a sea full. Stop it!

"I suppose I have a few. I really don't know too much about your country, other than what my brother told me." that caused Yamu to perk up a bit. At least she had something to go on. Pisti was usually the one to tour people around Sindria, but she hadn't come to the Kou Empire. Someone had to make sure that the princess was prepared for her trip.

"Oh yeah? What did he tell you?" Hakuei almost felt guilty to crush her hope.

"Not much really," she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I saw him after he had left from Sindria and then he was…well, he wasn't feeling too well." Both of them paused at the reminder of what had happened to her brother over the last year. Yamu seemed to deflate when her only chance of helping had brought up bad memories. Feeling guilty she tried to remedy the situation. "H-he told me that the food was good."

At least she had that. Yamu laughed, reviving form the momentary state of gloom. "Our country is pretty famous for our food. Lots of fish, and a whole lot of southern creatures." _What's a southern creature, _Hakuei asked in her head but decided to push it away for later.

"I've never really had fish before Hakuryuu cooked me some after that trip. It's very hard to get in the Kou Empire, so we never really tried to." Yamu shook her head, always shocked when someone said that. Of course she knew that was true, but for someone who was always traveling by water, she was always surprised by this.

"You'll get used to it soon, just like the sea." During this trip she was starting to realize that she had a lot of stuff to adjust to. Her entire world would be turned upsidown, from the food that she ate to the cloths that she wore. The weather was going to be different there, so she wouldn't have to wear as many layer as she usually did. What about the people? Would they be like what they were at home? This country had a lot of different cultures, so what kind of traditions would she have to take part in? Even though she was very curious about all this, she wasn't looking to forward to finding out. When Yamu realized that she had said something wrong, she tried again. "So, ah, what questions do you have?"

She had a list of questions. One that was a mile long. But she settled on the more immediate one. "Who's my master?" Yamu was taken back.

"Our king, Sinbad of course," she replied but Hakuei interrupted her.

"Yes, I understand that, but what is he like." Yamu jumped back a bit.

"What? You're the princess of the Kou empire, and you don't know our king?" seeing how worried she was at the thought, Hakuei hurried to help.

"No, no, I've heard about him. I used to read some of his books to my younger brothers." She breathed a sigh of relief. "But to be honest, that's all I really know about him. That he's the king of Sindria and a dungeon capturer. When he came to visit our country I was never there, and at the Magnustand war I was too busy worrying about my soldiers and siblings to really pay too much attention to him. Other than the time that he was arguing with my brother, I never really saw him." and even then, she hadn't been paying too much attention. Did she know what he even looked like? Were his eyes blue or brown? Hair done up or cut short?

"Sinbad's a really great king. He's a good leader and really kind to everyone. I mean…he's not perfect, but hey, he's pretty cool." Yamu wasn't really sure how she was supposed to explain that her king also got drunk a lot, and had a reputation with women? Perhaps she had already heard that rumor if her country spoke about him a lot. But all of that really wasn't on Hakuei's mind.

"Why did he bring me here?"

The cheery mood left her right away. What replaced it was one that looked just as perplexed as Hakuei felt. "This isn't going to make you feel any better, but I really don't know." Sighing, she turned and leaned against the side of the ship with her eyes staring at the blue sky above them. "Most of us are just as confused about this as you. We don't know why he decided to bring you to our country. Before a few days ago we didn't even know who you were. Ah, no offense." Hakuei waved it off so she continued. "But Sinbad's a lot like that. At some moments he can be really open and tell you a lot, but other times he's really secretive and you can't get anything out of him."

"I see..." Hakuei mumbled to herself, trying to run over that information in her head. Really, it made her scream in her head. SHE DOESN'T KNOW? DID HE DO ALL OF THIS ON A WHIM? WHAT IS HIS PLAN, THIS KING OF SINDRIA? CAN I TRUST HIM? WHAT SHOULD I DO? WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS? Outwardly, she smiled. "Thank you for telling me."

"No problem," Yamu smiled, oblivious to her real feelings. "I'm glad I could help. Is there anything else you want me to tell you before we get there? If you want to talk to Sinbad, he's in the other ship, but I can try and contact him for you-"

"Ah, no that isn't necessary," she assured her. "I have… many questions, but I think I'll wait till I get to Sindria to ask them." Yamu nodded, understanding completely.

"Alright. Come find me when you want to talk. We should be arriving in Sindria in a few hours, so I'll come find you when we arrive." The magician told her as she waved goodbye. Hakuei waved back as well, then turned back to the ocean to allow herself to absorb the information. Sinbad…the mysterious king of Sindria. Well, she supposed he wasn't as mysterious to her country as he used to be. The two countries had met many times to discuss things about al-thamen. Her brother had met him personally when he came to visit. Even her younger sister, Kougyoku had met him a few times. In fact, she used to have a thing for him. But neither of them had told Hakuei too much about him. To her, he was a stranger. Which was the most confusing thing about this whole predicament.

The choice, she thought, should have been Judal. If the king of Sindria was going to pick anyone to have under his control it should have been him. She heard that the two of them had history, so he must have known how powerful he was. Not to mention he was a magi, so he would have been very useful for getting information. Perhaps since they were enemies he decided that he didn't want him in his country, even if he could control him. But then, if not him, her brother. He was incredibly strong now, and the two of them were friends according to him. So if the problem was because he didn't like Judal, Hakuryuu should have been the choice.

But he didn't pick them. He picked her. Why? The two of them had no history whatsoever. She had never met him, she doubted he knew too much about her. Was it since she was a dungeon capturer? So was her brother. Perhaps he was planning on using her as an ally in the Kou Empire? That was possible, but quite a lot of work for one princess that her country didn't even trust any more. She wouldn't have done any good to help his case. Maybe it was because he was a general, he could use her to make allies with her people. He must have known though when they allied themselves to her it was to the Kou Empire, not her. As she searched her brain, she couldn't come up with any other reasons the king would have picked her. Then why? What was she doing going to Sindria? He had argued against her staying in the Kou empire, saying that she was a threat-

Could it be…he really thought that? That was a possibility. Maybe he thought that she was like her mother, and that she could hurt people. So he was bringing her to Sindria to keep an eye on her. Yes, that would make sense. He didn't know anything about her other than the rumors that were being spread most likely. That wasn't the most…comforting thought, but at least he had the thought of the safety of other people in mind. All she had to do too was to prove to him she wasn't working with al-thamen in any way. Then, perhaps, he might even take away her bracelet. So far it hadn't been a problem for her, but that was because it hadn't been used yet. Hopefully if she could do that, she would be able to contact her family. With that thought her stomach twisted, and she leaned down.

She missed her family already.

….

The last time Hakuei had been so confused by agriculture and the look of a country was when she went dungeon capturing. But Sindria was a close second.

It wasn't that she didn't like it. It was okay. Or, no, she did like it, but at the moment she was too surprised by it all too really notice any of it. Never before had she seen a country so open and sunny. It really was surrounded by water, and the streets were twisty and turning while the ones that she was used to all went in straight lines and had labels on them. The palace could be seen from the docks to her surprise. In every other country she was in, it was hidden and hard to see. But it was on a large mountain in the middle of the island so that all could see it. And like she had thought, it was much warmer than in the Kou Empire. Already she was starting to sweat in her traditional dress. How had Kougyoku survived here for so long? She gulped, holding onto her box and small bag for dear life.

But not for much longer. "Excuse me ma'am." She turned to see two men walking over to her. They might have been soldiers, but she couldn't tell. Their armour was different that the kind she was used to. Not even the Kouga tribe had worn those kinds of hats. The two men walked over to her and gave her a quick bow. Out of respect she bowed to them as well, but the two of them were very shocked by that action and tried to make her stop. This would be a very confusing time for her. "We are the ones to bring your stuff over to your room. Would you please show us where it all is?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I can carry it really." Both of them shook their heads stubbornly.

"It's alright ma'am, we have a few people ready to bring your things to your room. It's no trouble at all, it's our job." Hakuei hesitated, but decided it couldn't hurt. Sighing she handed the two of them the box and bag that she held.

"If you say so. Thank you very much." But the two men just looked confused, starting down at the stuff in their hands.

"Is…where is the rest of it ma'am?"

"Nothing else. That's it." both of them looked very surprised, and they stared at each other not knowing what to do.

"P-princess, it really is not trouble, we can bring all your stuff. You don't have to go easy on us, this is our job." Part of her wished that she did have more to give them. At least so that she looked less strange in their eyes. Most princesses, her cousins especially, would come with bags full of stuff when they were only coming to visit somewhere for a week. She was expected to be there for who knows how long, possibly for the rest of her life, and all she had was a box and a bag.

"Yes, I understand that. But that really is all that I have." The two men still looked very confused, but they just bowed again before hurrying away. As they did Yamu found her again.

"Princess Hakuei!" she called to her as she ran over, panting a bit. "I'm glad I found you," she told her, glancing over and seeing the movers. "Is that really all you have? You know you're going to be here for a while right?" _don't remind me, _she wanted to say.

"I do. That really is all that I have." Yamu frowned just as deeply as the men before her had.

"Really? Just two bundles? There's not much in there when I checked. Just a dress and some other trinkets. Don't you have any more cloths? Or stuff that you need in general?" Being reminded of the catastrophic destruction that happened in her room only a few days ago wasn't on Hakuei's list of favourite things to remember, but she knew she should explain. She didn't want her to think that she was expecting them to provide everything for her.

"Well, I did, but all my stuff was destroyed." She stared at her. "I don't want to talk about it. But, I can send for my people to bring me some more things, or I can buy more, you shouldn't worry," but Yamu waved her arguments aside.

"Oh don't worry about it. All of that will be provided for you from Sindria. We were already planning on getting you new cloths and the like since your weather is so different. Don't worry about paying, it's not a problem. Honestly, Jafar is happy that we are using our money on something actually useful instead of just spending it on more wine or stupid swords." Hakuei tried to smile in gratitude, but her heart melted all the same. Sure, she was grateful for all they were doing for her, but at the same time, almost nothing that she owned anymore would be from her culture. It felt like she was just being stripped of everything that was her.

Swallowing her pride she smiled, "Thank you very much. That is very generous." Yamu smiled, once again oblivious to the pain that it caused her.

"No worries! Anyway, do you want to unpack in first, or do you want me to show you around? We can even go shopping for your new stuff while we are at it. Maybe we can find some of the other generals to introduce you to." actually, she would have wanted to settle in first, get her bearings on the new place that she was going to be living in before it all overwhelmed her. But she really couldn't use that as an excuse. All that she had two unpack was the bag, since she wanted to keep everything that was in the box inside the box.

"I don't think I'm really up for shopping yet," she told her. "But if you don't mind I'd like to see the palace." Yamu brightened.

"Great! Then I can show you my laboratory! Come on, if we hurry we should be able to meet all of the generals before they all go out to get dinner." Hakuei smiled as she was led by the arm through the streets. At least one of them was happy.

The two women walked through the streets of Sindria, one trying to teach the other while she tried to take it all in. Yamu poured many different facts and information about her country so quickly that Hakuei wasn't able to keep up. She said something about celebrations and taverns and other stuff that was to much for her to all understand. As they continued to walk, even though Hakuei had requested her not to right away, she began to tell her small facts about the city outside of the palace. "Over there is Sam's restaurant, though Sam hasn't been working there for years. And on your right side there is Margie and Annie's clothing line. We'll probably go there when we get your new cloths. And over here…" she continued on at such a quick pace that Hakuei unconsciously began to drone out all her words. Yamu seemed to have dove into the guide role as soon as they had arrived and was doing her best to do her job well. She felt bad for droning out her words, but no one could be expected to remember all she told her right away.

As she led her into the palace Hakuei asked her a question. "Will I be allowed to meet King Sinbad sometime today?" she asked hesitantly, worried that the answer would be no. But Yamu just paused her rambling to think about it.

"Well…I'm not sure. You probably can, if you can find him. Sometimes when he gets back from a trip he's so tired he just goes up to his room to rest. I haven't seen him for a few days since his boat got here before us…let's find the generals and ask them. They'd probably know better than me."

"Oh." That was Hakuei's only response, and the two of them walked in awkward silence for a bit. Not as awkward as they went, because soon Yamu discovered that she was out or breath, while Hakuei was content with just taking the scenery in with her eyes. The two of them became comfortable with the silence as they walked. Hakuei thought that the way she was constantly talking must have been out of character for her and she felt guilty for making her think she had to fill the silence. A few times Yamu continued to check and make sure that she was still there. Hakuei pretended not to notice, twisting her new bracelet on her wrist consciously. When yamu noticed she seemed to glow with pride.

"What do you think of the bracelets? Made them myself, specially designed. See, you can even see my signature on the inside." Pulling the bracelet up a bit she was able to see the scribbling of a signature. Hakuei should have guessed it. None of their magicians, other than Judal, were powerful enough to create anything like that. Realizing that she was waiting for a response Hakuei plastered on a smile.

Trying to ignore the fact that it was being used against her, Hakuei tried to focus on its good points. "It's great. The design looks really pretty, and it's very comfortable." The compliments made Yamu's smile grow even more, and even her staff began to glow a bit.

"That's awesome! I was worried that it might be too big for your wrists, but I'm glad they fit. It was a rushed job to, since my king only told me to make them the day before we were supposed to give them to the three of you. We haven't tested them yet though have we? Judal might have, but I can't say." At first the words had started to fade away, but she caught onto something slowly.

Interrupting her she asked, "Excuse me, but your king was the one to ask you to make them?" before she answered she hesitated, not sure about what she should tell her. But she shrugged, deciding there was no problem with it.

"Yeah he did. It was his idea in the first place. Not sure why though, probably for Judal." She continued on, this time the words coming more naturally than before. Hakuei could see that this women had a true love for her magic, which was probably why she was so good at it. Not many of the magicians at her country spoke about it so fondly.

The two of them walked into the main entrance of the palace. Again, the design of the palace was so shockingly different that Hakuei had to stop to adjust to it. The building was made of a white marble, clean and shiny from all angles. Unlike hers, the walls around it were circular, surrounding it and matching with the geography of the country. There were a few buildings around, surrounding the biggest one in the middle. Each of the buildings looked different, easily defined as a garden, training area, library, learning commons, ext. there was clean cut grass on the outside of every building, and the baths were lined in marble. Her country had very little access to marble, so the palace was made out of other rich minerals and wood. Even the roofs of the buildings were different, hers were plated while these had what looked like ice cream swirls on the top. It was very confusing, the whole place seemed like a completely different world to her. She couldn't decide if it was magnificent or frightening. Yamu just continued walking, used to the make of her country by then. It took a moment, but Hakuei was able to automatically follow her along.

The two of them headed over to what looked like a laboratory. Actually, it only did because on the front there was a sign that said, _magician's laboratory. _Added in after in pen were the words, _stupid swordsmen, stay out! _Hakuei guessed it was a joke, but didn't really understand. Walking along, Yamu spotted a group of people sitting in an area and waved over to them. "Hey guys! I'm back!" all four of them turned to see her waving, as well as Hakuei standing awkwardly behind her. With a grin yamu pulled Hakuei by her wrist over to the group.

"Hey everyone, meet Princess Hakuei. Miss Hakuei, this is Pisti, Spartos, Hinahoho, and our very own idiot swordsmen, Sharkkon." The one she referred to yelped at her after that. Pisti was a young girl, (or so she thought) with short blond hair and a cheerful smile. Hinahoho on the other hand was a giant man with long blue hair and many scars. Spartos seemed normal, with armour similar to that from her countries and a calming smile. Sharkkon on the other hand wore strange garments she had never seen before and looked like he couldn't decide if he was happy to see her or still bored.

Respectfully, Hakuei bowed to them. "Just Hakuei is fine."

"Then hi, just Hakuei!" the young girl jumped up and shook her hand. "You're a friend of Aladdin's right? If that's true than your welcome here!" _that might be why Sinbad brought me here as well, _Hakuei realized this new possibility as she smiled and shook her hand.

"Thank you very much. I do hope I won't be a problem to any of you." Pisti gave a puff noise, blowing that idea away.

"Oh don't worry about it. All of us are so much of a problem, there's nothing you could do to make it worse." The girl glared at her for a quick moment when she caught something about Hakuei, but quickly smiled again. "I usually don't like girls that look like you, but I'm sure that I'll get over it. I got over Yamu's looks quickly to." Hakuei blinked, confused. Her question was quickly answered when she noticed the girl folding her arms in front of her chest self-consciously, doing her best not to glare at hers. Oh. Awkward.

Spartos hurried to fix the awkward situation by bowing as well. "It's an honour to meet you Miss Hakuei. My name is Spartos, one of the generals as you could probably tell." The two of them bowed to each other, and Hakuei decided that she was going to like him. The way that he acted was similar to what she was used to, even if it was a bit too formal.

Sharkkon didn't seem to pay too much attention to introductions. "Hey, what do you mean idiot swordsmen? Stupid magician, no respect for the sword!" Yamu turned and huffed at him.

"I give the sword all the respect it deserves."

"You don't respect the sword at all!"

Yamu gave an evil smile. "Exactly."

Sharkkon yelled at her and poor Hakuei had to jump back in order not to get his when he reached over to pull her hair. She screamed back and tried to stomp of his feet. Before Hakuei could blink her guide and on of the Sindria generals were attacking each other like children, calling each other names like baldy and warty witch. The rest of the generals either laughed or ignored them, so Hakuei guessed it was normal. Boy, she really was going to have a hard time getting used to that place.

Hinahoho didn't introduce himself, or shake her hand. Instead he watched her, with a very thoughtful look on his face. When Hakuei was about to talk to him, he spoke up first. "So Sinbad was the one who requested you as our guest right?" _What a nice way of putting it, _Hakuei thought, '_as a guest.'_

"Yes, I think so." Hinahoho frowned and turned away, absorbing that idea. The others spoke up before he could again.

"What kind of djinn do you have," Sharkkon asked, while stealing Yamu's hat and throwing it away. She kicked him in the shins making him yelp and jump up and down while she ran off to get it.

"Paimon, maniacal djinn of love and chaos." Pisti also jumped into the conversation, jumping up and sitting on the seat next to Spartos.

"Love and chaos? Wow, this sounds like my kind of djinn, I want to see her!" huh, she got the gender right. Most people assumed it was a boy.

"Those aren't two things that you normally hear going together," Spartos observed, looking as thoughtful as Hinahoho did. Speaking of him, he still didn't say anything. He just continued to watch Hakuei with guarded eyes. She guessed that maybe he didn't trust her yet, like Sinbad didn't. It looked like she had a bit of work to get done if she was going to live there for a while.

Yamuraiha came back, carrying her hat with a scowl aimed at Sharkkon's direction. "Yeah, but what kind of djinn is she? Water, earth, fire?"

"She's a wind djinn." The group all blinked and turned to each other in surprise. Most of them anyway, Sharkkon stole her hat again and threw it so far away she had to fly to get it back. Before anyone could say anything Yamu was out of sight. There went Hakuei's guide.

"That's the same kind of djinn Sinbad has," Pisti told her. "His is focalor, djinn of rule and submission. Huh, your two djinn's sound like opposites. Submission and love, rule and chaos. I wonder if they got along where they came from." Unlike many people, Hakuei hadn't been to the summit so she had only gotten a quick review of it from her cousins Kouha and Kougyoku. And though she had no evidence of it, she guessed that it wasn't completely accurate. 'My djinn, valefor, wash away all of the bad guys! He was the absolute strongest!' 'Yeah, but my djinn was able to destroy everything! Nothing could stand in her way, not even her ex! I know, djinn's could have exes. Isn't that weird?' She just took their word for it.

Spartos looked thoughtful. "Hm…I wonder if your attacks are the same. Lady Hakuei, do you think you could show us something that your djinn could do? If it's no trouble of course." The idea wasn't impossible, but she didn't think it was a good one. What if Sinbad found out she had used her djinn? Would she get in trouble for using her most powerful weapon in front of her friends, even if it was just to show them what kind of djinn it was?

"I'm not sure…if I'm allowed…" But Pisti spoke up before she could voice her worries.

"Oh don't worry about it! We'll take all the blame if Sinbad gets mad. We generals can get away with just about anything here." Lucky them. Back at the Kou Empire, she never got away with anything. Even when she stole an extra cookie from the kitchen when she was little her older brother had given her a time-out.

"Yeah, don't worry 'bout it!" Sharkkon advised her. "Sinbad never gets mad at people showing of their djinns. When your sister came to visit she even fought him with hers." She did WHAT? Why wasn't she told about this?

"I suppose it's alright…but it can be kind of windy, so take a few steps back okay?" the whole group took a step back at the same time. In sync. As if they had practiced it. Nope, she would never get used to that country. Ever. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her fan. It was starting to break after all the battles it had survived in. She was going to have to get a new metal vessel eventually. "Is everyone ready?"

"We're ready!" she looked up to find the whole group hiding behind Hinahoho. What, she wasn't going to kill them! Blow them away, maybe, but not kill them. Ignoring it she held up her fan and began to focus on calling Paimon.

"Djinn of love and chaos, dwell in my body," as soon as she said that the familiar white wind began to surround her. In the back of her mind she heard people gasp but didn't pay attention. She always had to concentrate when it came to first using her. Paimon liked to be as difficult as possible. As the wind began to surround her, she felt a sharp prick in the back of her head. It made her wince, but she otherwise ignored it. Concentrating her rukh the wind grew louder and louder. The pain continued to aggravate her, growing when her power did. It wasn't right, that wasn't what was supposed to happen when she used her djinn.

Over the roar of the wind she heard someone call to her, "Can you attack something? Like that tree over there!" Hakuei turned to see the tree standing tall next to her. It was much bigger than her, probably older to. Smiling she nodded at them and turned to the tree. Raising her arm she prepared to swipe at it, cutting the tree clean off of it's roots.

But then the dull pain struck her like a sword.

"GAH!" releasing her power over her djinn she fell to the ground in agony. Her body began to tremble as sharp pain began to cut her like knives all over. Everything seemed frozen, and everything about her started to ache. Her brain was throbbing, her hands were cold, feet couldn't touch the ground. Even wherever she looked became too bright for her to stand so she had to close her eyes. every movement that she made resulted in pain sprinting through her spreading all across her body. When she didn't move the pain began to throb, becoming a dull ache that became worse and worse with every heartbeat. It hurt, she didn't understand it, what was going on? A few feet away she vaguely heard people calling her name, but she couldn't respond. Just turning her head was too hard of a feet. They began to talk to one another, but the pain that was too much so even though she could hear them yelling she couldn't process anything.

"Lady Hakuei, are you alright?"

"Miss Hakuei, What's wrong?"

"Wha-what happened? Princess Hakuei?"

"Yamuriaha, your back!" _Thank goodness, _Hakuei wanted to cry in relief, but could hardly open her mouth. _Help!_

"What happened to the princess?"

"I-I don't know! She was just about to show us her djinn, when she fell on the ground!" by her shoulder she felt someone try to pick her up but draw back at the touch. "Ah! She's burning up!"

"Are you guys insane? She can't use her djinn with the bracelet on!"

"What?" _WHAT? _

"It's one of the affects the council requested! Anyone wearing the bracelet can't use their magic or djinn unless authorized by their master. If they try, well, that happens." _No one told me about that!_

"Well what do we do? is she going to be okay?" Yamu's voice turned very sarcastic when she answered what sounded like Pisti.

"Yes, she's going to be fine. The rukh in her body are just going to start to attack her from the inside out until we do something."

"…Oh." _WAS THAT IT? _

"Well what are we supposed to do," another person yelled at her. "We can't just leave her like this!"

"We can't do anything! Whenever we touch her it will cause the rukh to react and target that point!" silence. "it will hurt her."

"But we've got to do something!" _Please, please help, _Hakuei started screaming in her head, wondering why no one could hear her. It seemed as if she was screaming so loudly her eardrums were going to burst, but in reality she hadn't even opened her mouth. The pain was bursting inside of her, never seemed to slow down or speed up. She wanted to scream, get up and run from the pain that was taking over, but she couldn't' even move. If she had been in a well enough emotional state to think about it, she would have been embarrassed. Her first day, in a completely new country, and she was lying on the ground wanting to beg for help. All thanks to her stupid bracelet. (No offense Yamu) That thing was completely changing her life, making her leave her home, and unable to be able to use the djinn she fought so hard for. Why? So a stranger could make sure she couldn't hurt anyone? What did he want her for anyway? She hadn't even met him yet? Where was he?

As an answer to her prayers, guess who showed up.

"Djinn rukh contraction, release!" someone boomed in a loud voice, the words echoing around her. The second that they were spoken Hakuei's insides froze. For an instant it was like everything had stopped. Then, as soon as it did, it released. The pain was gone as soon as it had appeared, finally she could move. But when the pain was gone, her energy left with her. When she was able to move, all she was able to do was collapse on the ground. this time, when people spoke it was easier to hear.

"What happened," the man who had spoken called to the group of them. it was so much quieter that she could hear the sound of his footsteps as he walked closer. Though there were a few footsteps, so she guessed there was more than one person.

"she was asked to use her djinn. I forgot to tell her that she couldn't. If stupid Sharkkon had just kept his curiosity to himself."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I didn't make her do it!"

"You asked her! You shouldn't have pressured her into it!"

"I didn't pressure her! Besides, we didn't know it was going to hurt her! It's your stupid fault for making that bracelet!"

"My bracelet is absolutely fine! Your wish you could do what I can!"

"Who the heck would want to make a bracelet that does such stupid stuff?"

"Stupid?"

"Okay calm down you two," another voice said, this one quieter, yet stricter than the other. "Don't you think we have other things to worry about? General Yamu, is Princess Hakuei going to be alright? Does she need medical treatment at all?" _No, I'm fine, _Hakuei imagined herself telling him, but was so tired she couldn't' voice it. To be completely honest with herself, she couldn't decide if she was tired or embarrassed. Part of her didn't want to face them right now. Now that she was fine, she was worried about seeing the way that they all looked at her.

"Don't worry, she'll be alright. She's just going to need to get some rest." _Yes, _Hakuei wanted to thank her. _Rest is good. Very, very good. _

It didn't look like she would be getting the privacy that she wanted though. One of the sets of footsteps walked over next to her. Gently two arms reached down and picked her up. They felt too thick to be a women's, but very strong for most men. Probably more than Droji even. "I'll take her to her room. It should be ready for her to rest at least."

"Are you sure about that," Pisti called to the one who picked her up bridal style. She felt her hair fall down and hang below her, and the arms around her shoulders and legs tickled her a bit. If she had more energy she would have asked him to put her down. But she was too tired, so she just allowed herself to be picked up and her feet dangling from his arms. "We don't mind taking her your majesty. Besides, she hadn't seen all of Sindria yet." _Your majesty, _Hakuei noted absentmindedly. With a bit of a groan she flitted her eyes so that she could try and see the person who had picked her up. The sun was so bright it was hard to see and she squinted so her eyes could adjust.

"I'm sure Pisti," the man said, his head dipping forward and blocking out the sun. As he did Hakuei was able to focus on his features. Long purple hair with a few strands sticking out of its pony tail. Older than her, not by too much though. His mouth was set in a firm line, and his eyes glowed like someone in authority. Only then did he look down at her and she was able to see what colour his eyes were.

Golden. Her head spun as she remembered only a few days ago when she had been hiding in her secret spot. A pair of golden eyes saw her. The only one to have ever seen her. _No, _she thought to herself. _There is no way. _But, there was. And he was.

Sinbad King of Sindria, and her new master. "Besides," he was saying. "I have a few things I would like to discuss with the princess."

_Good, _she thought. _Same here. _


	4. Meeting the King

Meeting the king

It took a while for Hakuei to open her eyes. By the time she did the stars were already out. Of course, that might not have meant much. She really didn't understand that country very well. It might have been only dinner time. For her, it felt like she had only slept for a second, than BOOM, time had passed. She hated it when that happened.

As she opened her eyes, she surveyed her surroundings. It wasn't much like the room that she had back at the Kou Empire. Actually, it was bigger. The bed was much bigger than she needed, with white sheets and a black frame above and below. There were curtains around the bed, but they were pulled back at the moment. Her blankets were much thinner than the ones from home, but twice as comfortable. There was a large closet straight across from her, opened to reveal the dress she had brought, but was otherwise empty. A few shelves were bolted to one side of the wall, next to the wooden door that remained shut. There was a pair of large glass doors that led out to a balcony to her right, and a table with her box and bag on her left. There was a full-sized mirror that she could somewhat see from her sleeping position. It reflected the small chandelier on the ceiling, though none of the candles were lit. A purple couch was against the wall, with a table that had some small snacks on it. _Sindria certainly likes to spoil their guests, _Hakuei thought to herself as she started to pull herself up, _my own room wasn't this fancy! _Starting to wake herself up, she noticed that the room also had a wooden chair in the corner.

And it was occupied.

With a gasp Hakuei shot up, reaching into her pocket to grab her metal vessel. The person sitting there barely flinched at her reaction, watching her carefully. "Who are you," Hakuei asked pointing her fan at him as if it was a sword. She hoped he knew what it was or else that would be very awkward. _Come near me and face the wrath of my feather covered fan! _Call her crazy, but she didn't think that would go so well. Nonetheless, it was her only weapon at the moment, so she kept it pointed at him.

His response wasn't a very good one, but it was important. "I wouldn't use your djinn if I were you. That bracelet will shock you again if you do." when she was reminded of that, the memories from earlier all came flooding back to her. Gingerly, she put the fan to her side, but didn't keep it too far away. Even if it hurt her, any defence was better than none. It would be a problem, if she couldn't use her djinn whenever she needed it. Of course she knew swordplay, but it wasn't useful if she was fighting someone extremely powerful.

Carefully, she observed her visitor. He was an older male, probably around the age of her cousin Kouen. Long purple hair was tied back into a low thin pony tail, going all the way down to his waist and leaving a few strands sticking out around his head. He wore long white robes and a lot of jewelry. How someone could be comfortable wearing that much jewelry on a regular day basis was beyond her. The man looked very strong, strong enough to break bones if he wanted. That pleasant thought sent Hakuei crawling backwards on the bed. Unfortunately her back hit the wall, leaving her stranded. Back to the man, his skin was tanned, like a lot of people she had seen in that country. His face was set in the perfect poker face, and she had no clue what he was thinking. He was handsome, she guessed. Hakuei had never been the kind to pay attention to those kinds of things. But when he looked up she caught his golden eyes. They shone in the light of the moon from the window, big and striking. Even though she didn't care much for appearances, even she was entranced by them for a moment. They just begged for attention, a beautiful sight. But more than that, Hakuei couldn't help thinking that they looked…

Sad.

The man leaned back, and Hakuei snapped back to reality. His hands were placed on either side of him on the armrests, and he sat up straight. The way he played the look of royalty so well made Hakuei remember she was supposed to be a princess. Checking herself she made sure she was decent, hair in check and proper cloths. One of her hair clips were caught on her dress, and the rest of her hair was tangled and messy from the sleep. If her old tutor, the one who taught her how to act like a princess, had been there she would have been ashamed. Oh well, Hakuei never liked her much anyway.

For a moment there was silence, the two of them just taking the sight of each other in. he was the first one to speak up. "Princess Hakuei. It is nice to finally meet you." He stood up from his chair, holding out his hand towards her. As he did this his face never changed, not even bothering to smile to make it more comfortable. "I am King Sinbad of Sindria." oh. Well now Hakuei was just embarrassed.

"I-its good to meet you king Sinbad," she stuttered, doing her best to look official. And failing at it. Why the heck had he come just when she had woken up? She didn't even have time to get her bearings. Giving up on trying to fix her hair, she tried to pretend it wasn't the wreck it was and simply bowed to him. "It's an honour to meet you." At least she remembered to sound professional.

Sinbad didn't seem to notice, simply waiting for him to take her hand and shake it. Trying to supress her blush from the embarrassment she was feeling, she took his hand. His grip was firm, a little too firm. It hurt her hand a bit, and she pulled back too quickly. Again, Sinbad didn't seem to notice. He seemed stuck in his poker face, taking in everything and giving away nothing. It was aggravating for Hakuei, someone who wanted to know as much about the people around her as she could. There had been too many people in her past who had betrayed her before, and she didn't want it to happen again. Though, she didn't trust Sinbad anyway, so she supposed she didn't have to know him to have that. But knowing better than to tell him that, she started again. "May I ask what you are doing in this…my room I'm guessing?"

Sinbad nodded, waving his hand gesturing to the room. "Correct. I had my servants make it as soon as I got back. I hope it's not too small for your taste." Was he teasing her? She was used to that kind of treatment from some countries. Princess all had to be spoiled and given the best stuff. Suppressing her annoyance she tried to be as honest as she could.

"No, it's not too small. In fact, it's almost too much. You didn't have to go to all this work for my room, I would have been fine with a regular guest room." At that Sinbad's lips twitched in a small smile. At least she got some kind of approval from him. But the smile was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"Nonsense. You'll be staying here for quite a while, you should be comfortable." Tipping his head towards the door, he told her, "You're in the same building as a few of my generals are. It was the most permanent lodging we could find." _Since you're going to be here for a long time," _were the words that he didn't say, but he didn't have to. Hakuei understood. "Not all of the generals of course. Hinahoho and Drakkon both have their own places with their families."

That meant two weren't with her, but that left only 4 that she knew of. "Your highness, I know Yamu, Sharkkon, Pisti and Spartos. Who are the other two?"

"Masrur and Jafar. But they won't bother you very much. Jafar if it's business perhaps, but Masrur is very quiet." She nodded, remembering her friend Morgianna telling her about those two. She said…Jafar didn't have a smell?

"I see. Thank you very much. But perhaps that isn't why you came to visit me?" Sinbad's eyes flashed to the ground for a quick moment, then back to hers. Again, they were startling, causing Hakuei to catch her breath. Not in a way that she was attracted to them. In fact, it was quite the opposite. They scared her.

"No it is not. I would like to talk to you about your stay here." Hakuei brightened, unable to stop the small smile that appeared on her face.

"That's good. As a matter of fact, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you-" But Sinbad interrupted her before she could continue.

"There are a few things that you need to know if you're going to stay here," Sinbad told her, and his voice was so commanding it sounded almost angry. Hakuei was confused. Even when she had just glimpsed him in Magnustand he had seemed happier than he was now. And that was in the middle of a battle. Did it really bother him this much to have her there? Perhaps it was because she was from the Kou Empire. But he had requested her, she had no choice. All the rumors said he was supposed to be the lady killer of the seven seas, charming and kind. He didn't seem like any of those things now.

"I hear that you are in need of some…everything?" she blushed a bit, and tried to suppress it so she didn't see. It was embarrassing asking a stranger to support her for all the things that were destroyed in the room. Like Yamu he didn't seem to mind. "I'm sure Yamu and Pisti will be able to help you find everything that you need sometime soon. Is there anything else that you need immediately?" she shook her head.

"Alright. As for the difference in our countries culture, I'm sure you will be able to adjust to it quickly, considering that your main role as general was mostly making treaties and allies with other countries." Had he been checking up on her? How did a king of another country know that? "What you need to know right away I suppose is that you are not allowed to insult other cultures. You don't have to participate, but don't make fun or belittle them." she nodded immediately.

"Of course not. I wouldn't want," he ignored her explanation, but after a pause. It sounded like the way that he was acting was out of character in his eyes as well. Than why was he doing it?

"There are quite a few parties and celebrations here because of all the cultures. You don't have to come to all of them, but I'd recommend coming to at least a few." Hakuei frowned at that. She was never good in parties. Talking to people was alright, but the games and dancing was never really her style. Unless she was doing regular ballroom dancing, she might as well have had two left feet.

"I suppose that won't be a problem. Many of the people seemed nice,"

"Also," he interrupted her observations. "I suppose you would like to know about the bracelet." He paused, so Hakuei nodded. "As you have probably already realized, it restricts you from using your djinn at all. Whenever you summon it, it will render you immobile." Again Hakuei nodded.

"Yes, I understand. But about that, how will I,"

"The bracelet will not restrict anything else," Sinbad ignored her again. "Unless I give the order. I can make a command that will be put in place until I take it back. If you don't obey a command right away it will start to tingle. If you completely disobey a command it will shock you until you do, or it will control your body and make you."

"Alright, I understand," Hakuei interrupted him in a loud voice so he had no choice to pay attention. Goodness, this was the man that her servants had been gossiping about her last few days at the palace? He wasn't charming at all. "Just what can you command me to do? Anything, or are their restrictions for you?" she doubted he would do anything like ask her to kill someone, but if he forced her to give away information about her country, that would be a problem.

Sinbad's eyes narrowed a bit when she interrupted him, but he went on to answer her question. "As far as I know, there are no restrictions for me." that made her throat tighten, but she didn't show him. What good would it do? All it would do was show him that she had something to hide.

"Anyway," Sinbad continued, "as long as you are staying here, there are a few rules for your stay." She nodded politely. That was to be expected. What wasn't to be expected was how he told them to her. "I command you that for as long as you stay in Sindria, you are not to hurt any of Sindria's citizens or guests unless they attack you first, or in training." It was almost insulting that he would think she would.

"I wasn't going to," she let out a yelp as she spoke, and clutched her wrist in pain. A painful shock coursed through her, and the bracelet glowed red. "What was that?"

"My guess it was the bracelet taking effect," Sinbad told her completely composed. "Yamu says the pain will dull after a few tries." Thinking back, she remembered what Kouen had said about the bracelet. _Whenever they say, 'I command,' you will have to do what they say. _For how long would that bracelet be in effect? Not that she had any plans to hurt anyone, but still.

"The next rule," he began again, and Hakuei braced herself for the pain that came. "I command you to not tell anyone from your kingdom anything about Sindria that you learn here." The bracelet shocked her and she held her arm in pain. This time it didn't hurt as much, just like he had said. The king didn't flinch at her pain at all, just remained emotionless. Perhaps he was more like her cousin Kouen than she thought.

"Third, I command you not to leave this island unless you have one of the 8 generals with you." The shock became just a small pinch this time. It seemed strange, him wanting her to stay when it sounded like he didn't trust her at all.

"Lastly, I command you to make sure I know where you are going whenever you leave the palace grounds." Wow, he really didn't trust her. The shock sparked through her, and she winced a bit, but was able to ignore it otherwise.

He didn't continue. "Is that all King Sinbad? May I speak now?" he raised an eyebrow at her bluntness, and she knew she was supposed to look down. But she always had a hard time keeping her mouth shut. Sinbad just shrugged, so she assumed it was a yes. "Thank you. If you don't mind me asking, I would like to know why I am here. I mean, I know why I was sent away from my country, but I would like to ask you why you picked me to come here instead of Judal or my brother-"

"No." she blinked.

"Pardon?"

"No, you may not ask why you are here. Next question." he told her the last one with a smile, as if he was teasing her. Her hand twitched in annoyance, but out of respect she took a deep breath and let it go.

"May I ask why I can't ask that question?"

"Sure." She smiled. "Because I don't want to tell you." She frowned.

"Why not?" she asked a little too whiny than she had meant to.

"All in due time," he waved off the question. "Now that I have answered that, is there anything else you would like to ask?" Rude much? He hadn't even answered her question.

Taking a deep breath to maintain her patience, she went on to another question. "Okay…When will I be able to contact my family?" Sinbad thought about it. He had no problem with answering that question, since she couldn't tell them anything about his country thanks to the bracelet.

"Yamu should be able to help you speak to them if you want to use magic. The Kou Empire will take quite some time, but if you want to speak to your brother it should be easier. As for when exactly, you'd have to talk to Yamu about that." She nodded, relived. Part of her had worried he would say she wasn't allowed to be in contact with her family at all. He hadn't mentioned Judal and she wasn't surprised. No one seemed to have an easy time contacting Yunan the magi. She doubted Judal would make it any easier for them in the end.

"Thank you." She had a few more questions, but most of them could wait till tomorrow. Even though she had just woken up from her sleep, she was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep. "One last thing, if you don't mind." Sinbad nodded, and she wondered how she was going to word this answer. "Will you promise to be completely honest with me?" for a moment he paused, and she guessed he was worried she would ask him something about his country or his plans. Those were things she wanted to know about, but not then. "It's just an opinion question. Nothing overly important but…I'd just like to know." his features relaxed just a bit and he nodded silently. Trying to erase all expectations, she took in a quick breath and asked her question.

"Which am I? A guest…or a prisoner?" Sinbad stopped in his tracks. The two of them stood there, the question hanging in the air. The king had to take a moment to decide how to answer that question. If nothing else Hakuei was grateful for that. If he was going to lie, he would have just done it immediately. And even if he was, at least he was putting a lot of thought into it, instead of just giving her the simple answer everyone was. The princess stood in front of the King, waiting patiently to hear the answer to the question that she might already know the answer to. After a bit Sinbad spoke up again.

"Would my answer really matter? It sounds like you have already made your decision." There was no point in denying that. She had. But at the same time…

"You're my 'master' aren't you? I would like to know how you picture me." again he paused before giving her his answer. When he did, he wasn't as calm as he was before. He almost sounded a bit angry.

"How I picture you? What makes you think that how I picture you is as either a guest or a prisoner?" Hakuei was taken back. Over the past few hours, being a prisoner or a guest were the only two options that she had been considering. Mainly because those where the two that worried her the most. If she was a guest that meant that she could be lied to or used. If she was a prisoner, that meant she had no freedom. What else could she be?

"Well, if I'm not one of those, than what am I?" This time, Sinbad didn't respond. His eyes shifted away, unable to meet hers. But she needed an answer. She needed something, at least so that she knew where she stood. Hakuei wasn't prepared to be left in the dark in a country where she was all on her own. "Please? Just tell me something." Her please made Sinbad flinch a bit, and he turned back to stare at her. His golden eyes were stuck on her blue ones, both of them frozen in expectation. Sinbad was calmer, able to walk away if he wished. Hakuei was more nervous, knowing that she needed the answer, yet wasn't sure if she was going to get it. In the end, she did.

"You are…someone that I brought here." That wasn't the answer that Hakuei was looking for. She wanted something more definite, something that would help her decide her position. But it wasn't completely useless. It gave her some answers. The fact that he said he brought her there meant that it had been his choice instead of the council's, and gave her more questions that she needed to be answered.

"…You brought me here," she ran the words over on her tongue. "For what reason?"

Her question seemed to hit a nerve with him. His face soured, and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Trying to look in control, he maintained eye contact, and the way that he watched her was unsettling. It was as if he could see right through her, understand every little thing about her without even having to try. As if he could guess any hidden meanings she had with that question, and unspoken questions that she wanted answered. Of course, that was ridiculous. He couldn't have known her that well. No one did. Sinbad didn't answer her question. Instead, he changed the topic completely.

"Take off your outer robe." …what? Where had that come from?

"Your majesty?"

"I command you to take it off." Hakuei felt the familiar sting on her arm, and she winced just a bit. Sinbad didn't react. His face hadn't even changed as he had asked the question. At first Hakuei tried to resist it just out of stubbornness, but like he said, the sting just got worse and worse. Soon her arm started moving on its own at command of the bracelet. The feeling was unbearable, watching her arm move without having any way to stop it. Deciding it wasn't a big deal, she did it herself, regaining control of her arm as she did. As she did she rattled through her brain trying to decide what reason Sinbad would have to ask something like that. Perhaps it was to prove the power of the bracelet? Or maybe it was because it was too hot to wear in that countries climate. Slipping her sleeves through, Sinbad watched her in silence. There was an unreadable emotion on his face that she didn't understand, and wasn't sure she wanted to. When she finally stepped through the dress, for the first time since her trip there she was glad that her country made her wear so many layers. Underneath it she wore another dress, this one made of a thinner material that covered her arms, ankles and neck and was a pale pink. It didn't go very well with her complexion, but she was just grateful she wore it.

"There," she whined at him. Even though she was still wearing cloths, she felt oddly exposed under his gaze. It was uncomfortable, and she wanted it to end. Crossing her arms in front of her chest to try to look more empowered, she stood up straighter and tried to look him in the eye. "Was there a reason for that order?" Sinbad didn't answer.

"Turn around." Thanks to the power of the bracelet, she found her legs moving on their own. The next thing she knew she was facing the wall with Sinbad behind her. Perhaps he didn't have to say, 'I command' after he already had. Annoyed, she tapped her foot impatiently, trying to annoy him as well. The high king didn't react at all, or at least she couldn't tell. This showing off his power act was getting old.

Her back froze when she felt his hand on her back, by her right shoulder. "H-hey!" Hakuei barked.

"Where did you get this scar?"

Her anger was lost when she realized what he was doing. Since it was on her back, she had to glance at the mirror a few feet away to see what he was referring to. On her right shoulder there was a long straight scar that went from the tip of her shoulder down to her spine, just a little bit above the middle. Over the years it had gotten smaller, only a thin line remained. But it was still there. Over all the years it hadn't gone away. Just like he had said it would. At the sight of that scar a feeling of fear had replaced her anger, and she started unconsciously shivering where she stood. From the mirror she couldn't see Sinbad's face, but his hand traced the scar up and down, even where it couldn't be seen under the dress. How could he have known where it was ended, when more than half of it was covered by the fabric? "Well," he persisted, reminding her that he was still waiting for an answer. "Where did you get it?"

"I…I'd rather not answer that,"

"It's a command." Darn.

"Isnan," she fumbled out, against her will thanks to the bracelet. When first word followed the rest came out automatically, her unable to stop them. "Or the banker as a lot of people called him. He was one of the organization, though I didn't realize it till after I heard he was killed. When I was little he trained me a bit, and that was one of the scars of got from his training. The rest aren't as large," those words stumbled out before she could stop them, but by then she was able to force her mouth shut. He didn't need to know that last part. But it left a answer to a question he would have asked if he had continued. Did he give you any more? Sinbad said nothing, absorbing her words quietly. She didn't move either, trying to recover from the embarrassment of exposing that information. How dare he make her tell him that? That was private! He being a king didn't entitle him to know everything about her. Angrily she turned around so she could face him, his hand falling to his side as she did. Turning she glared at him, and he looked back. Sinbad seemed calm, unmoving, while she was trembling with rage.

"How did you know about that," she struggled to keep her tone even. Sinbad didn't react, so she persisted. "How did you know about that scar? You shouldn't have known I even had any, how did you," but she cut herself off. She hadn't noticed it before, but she did now. The look in his eyes that had previously been unreadable was clearer now.

And they were filled with regret.

Though she didn't understand why he would have that expression, she felt guilty. "I…it's an old scar. It doesn't hurt anymore…" When she started to speak he flashed back to reality, and the look on his face was gone as soon as it had come.

"You should get to bed." He looked out her doors and saw the moon shining in the sky. "It's late." WELL FINALLY! But after what had just happened, she couldn't bring herself to ignore it.

"King Sinbad, how did you know about,"

"Don't make me make it an order." Wow, he was really going to use that to his advantage.

Turning on his heels he headed out towards the door. Hakuei stood there for a moment, flabbergasted. Then, annoyed, she spun away from him, planning to just go back to bed like she was told and ignore him until he had left. "Hakuei," he called out to her, and instinctively she turned to face him. "To answer your earlier question… you are a guest on paper. But a prisoner at heart." And with that he turned and left her alone.

Yeah. Cause she was going to sleep after that.

**Hey everyone. Christmas is coming soon! I might post the next chapter either earlier or later, I'm not sure yet. anyway, enjoy!**


	5. The Library

The library

"This is…really boring."

For the first few days in Sindria, everyone agreed to leave her alone. According to Yamu, their reasoning had been, 'you should have some time to adjust on your own before I pile to much information on you.' _even though she had done that on my first day here? _'Take some time to get some sleep, get used to the weather, and explore the palace! I'll show you around officially when we bring you to go shopping.' So that left Hakuei by her lonesome. She spent a majority of the time that wasn't alone with Pisti and Spartos. Spartos understood where she was coming from the most, and Pisti was really excited to make a new friend. Her meals she usually ate with all of the generals, and she quickly learned about Sharkkon and Yamu's ongoing rivalry.

Once she had tried to settle their disputes by asking them, "What if there was a sword made out of magic?" neither of them had an answer. The two of them left to ponder it for the next few hours. In the end, neither came up with a response so they had to let it go.

But at times when they were busy working on various things in the kingdom, Hakuei was left with nothing to do. For the first few days she was grateful for the privacy, but after a while she got bored. Already she had explored the palace three times, (Accidentally walking in on one of the servants and a maid kissing once. Those two now did whatever she asked if she promised to keep quiet) gone through the gardens at least twice a day, and made a list of books and scrolls she wanted to read in the library. King Sinbad made no desire to ever speak to her. She saw him very little, and when she did he was busy talking to someone else. He had never explained what had happened that night. And she wasn't too thrilled to ask him about it either. So they both left it be as if it had never happened.

But that left Hakuei all alone. That day she went wondering around the kingdom hallways again, wearing the same outfit she had worn the day before. She only had the two, so she made sure to wash them each night. It was too thick for their weather though, and she knew that she was going to have to head inside soon enough. Walking through the hallways she hurried into the local library to get out of the heat.

She found Jafar working on some papers inside. "Hi Jafar!" she greeted him too pleasantly. She was just relieved she had found someone she knew. He looked up from his work with wide eyes.

"Hello princess Hakuei. What can I do for you?" almost skipping happily she went into the room, trying to stay away from the scrolls scattered around on the floor.

"Nothing really. I was just wondering if there was anything I can do." He tipped his head to the side, looking younger than he really was. How old was he anyway? He looked like he was around her age, but she wasn't sure. At times he acted older, at others he seemed younger. Someday she might ask him.

"Something you can do?" she nodded, walking over to the table he was sitting at.

"Yeah." She gulped when she realized how informal she was being. When she was in a foreign country, she was supposed to act polite and unfamiliar. But the last few days of her being on her own made her forget that a bit. Straightening her form she tried again. "I mean, yes, if you don't mind. Yamu and king Sinbad offered to pay for the items that I need for my stay here, and I'd like to pay them back somehow."

"Oh, don't worry about that princess! Our country is paying for all of it. It's probably one of the most useful things that we have used our money for in a while." So she had been told.

"But I'd still like to do something to help out. Besides we don't know for…how long I'm staying here…" both of them paused at the statement. "So I thought I should help out a bit more. I don't want to be a freeloader or anything."

"No, you're not being a freeloader," but Hakuei put her finger up and he stopped so she could continue.

"And, taking away the noble side of things, it helps me relax when I work. I really don't have anything to do." that was something Jafar could understand.

"I see. Well…we don't really have anything for you to do really…" he mumbled as he glanced through the library, as if the answer would just pop up out of nowhere. "Most of our guests usually have a political purpose to come here or are here to study. Have you tried signing up for some kind of lessons?" Hakuei nodded.

"Yes. I signed up to learn about the other cultures on the island and some sword fighting. Sharkkon seemed happy about that." Jafar guessed from the slight shiver that she got that Yamu wasn't so happy about it. "But Yamu told me not to attend any of them until after I had been toured around the country officially. So for a while…I don't have too much to do."

Jafar laughed a bit. "That's true. I don't think I have anything for you to do though. I'd say you could help me with these reports, but it's mostly Sindrian documents, and since you're not from here…" she sighed and nodded. She understood. Not only did she not understand everything about Sindria yet, but she also wasn't supposed to help with things in politics and military since she wasn't from their country. Since she was a general he guessed those would be things she would be interested in, but couldn't think of anything she would be allowed to do. "If you want to look there might be something new you can read around here. We got some new books yesterday."

Hakuei couldn't exactly say that she was happy about that. Already she had searched through all the books. Even she couldn't read THAT much. But it was better than nothing. She smiled anc gave him a quick bow. "thank you for helping me." she turned to head over to the section that she was normally at. Only to stop and gasp.

The half of the library that was hidden by the shelves was a wreck. Books were scattered everywhere, papers scattering the floor. One of the bigger shelves had tipped over and was leaning against another, all of its contents spilled on the ground. The table standing in the middle of the room was on its side with a jagged burn mark in the middle.

"What…what happened to your library?" Jafar followed her to the back and saw the mess. He gave a long sigh, already used to the mess.

"Yamu did it yesterday. Apparently she was looking for something about a magic sword?" Oops. That, ah, might have been her fault.

"How about I clean this all up," Hakuei suggested. "I really don't mind. My brother and his friends used to mess up our study all the time so I had to clean it up before anyone found out. I'm pretty good when it comes to cleaning libraries." Nothing else however. Jafar wasn't too happy about making a princess work for them, but soon gave in.

"If you want to than that's alright. I'll be in the other room, please call me if there is anything that you need." The two of them gave each other a quick bow before turning to their work. Hakuei surveyed the work in front of her and rolled up her sleeves.

"Might as well get started."

…..

It took her longer than she had expected. After a few hours the majority of the room was cleaned with books back on the shelves and almost everything back in order. She had to make a pile of the few books that had gotten damaged so that she could tell Jafar about it later. Normally it didn't take as long as it did, but Hakuei continued to get distracted and read over the books. She had heard of a lot of them to her relief, but some of them weren't even in a language that she understood. Take away her native language the only one that she knew was the Touran language and some of the Kouga tribe's historical one. Though none of them used it anymore. All that was left was a few shelves that had fallen from the wall.

Smiling at her work, she rolled down her sleeves. _Looks good. After these shelf is finished, I should be done. _Starting with one shelf on the left she heaved it up and slammed it against the wall. At first it wobbled back and forth, but she quickly was able to steady it. Walking over to the side she was going to straighten it more but her eyes drifted to the wall.

In the wall there was a slit. The paint dipped down and up again just for one line. Curious, she leaned closer and ran her finger along it. _Huh. I wonder what was here before. _Running her finger up it went up and up so far that she had to stand on her tip-toes. And when she got to the edge, she realized that it wasn't just the stop to that line, but a start to another. It was a corner. Following the next line, she went along it at a 90% angle about half the width of the last line until she found another corner. The next line was the same length as the other, going all the way down to the ground. Taking a step back, she saw that it all fit together to be a rectangle. _About the size of a door, _she considered. At first that thought was just a side thought, but when she looked to the ground again she began to consider it. Leaning on her knees she put her head to the floor and looked at where the lines met the ground. In between it, she noticed that it didn't quite reach the ground. There was a small gap of air from the ground to the wood. Just enough so that it could swing open.

_It really does seem like a door, _she pondered. _But there's no way to open it…_Still thinking of it like a door, she sat upright began searching the sides for some kind of handle. There was nothing obvious she could find, no golden handle or place to put her hand. But on the right side as she ran her hand around it, and noticed there was a small hole. The covering that was supposed to be wood on top of it was paper. Focusing on that spot she searched around that area for any more evidence. In the end all she could find was the frame of a circle, and a tiny slit in the middle. It felt like a keyhole. Forgetting that she was supposed to be cleaning, she went to the table and grabbed a letter opener. Cutting around the circle she pealed the paper off to realize that she was right. There was a key hole there.

At the discovery, her heart started pounding. How exciting! A secret door that she had found! What was behind it? What mysteries could she unfold? Finally, something interesting to do! Something to think about and wonder over instead of worrying about whether she would go home or see her family soon. Something that was unrelated to her and that was easy to deal with. All she had to do was find the key and all her questions would be answered-

But as she got up, it hit her that it wasn't her library. It wasn't like back at home where she was allowed to go looking through whatever she wanted. This time she was a guest. It wasn't her place to go trying to find and uncover the secrets that they had. If she accidentally found something crucial and private for the nation, she wouldn't be welcomed for very much longer. But still…she wanted to know what could be behind it.

_Jafar, _she remembered. _Yes, Jafar is still here! I'll go ask him if he has the key to the door. If he says I can't go than…I'll ask someone else. _She wasn't as noble as she tried to be. Even she knew that. Returning to the room that she was in before, she found Jafar still working on the papers. "Excuse me, Jafar?" he looked up from his work with a smile. "I was wondering if you had the key for the door in the other room?" at that his face fell.

"Door? What Door?" _he might not know about it, _she had forgotten to consider that.

"The door that was behind the bookshelves. It has a key slot, but I can't find the key." With a frown Jafar rose from his seat.

"There isn't a door back there princess. Do you mind showing me?" She nodded and led him to the other room. As soon as they arrived in her workplace Jafar's eyes shifted to the door and a light flashed in his eyes. She didn't understand it, but as soon as it was gone, he looked almost…sad. "Oh. That door."

"Um…" she considered what she should say next. It looked like it really bothered Jafar, the door. She had forgotten to consider that there could be something personal in there. All she had been focused on was finding out what was in there. "If you don't want me looking in there, I won't. I was just curious is all."

"No," Jafar interrupted quickly. After a slight pause he tried again, "I mean, it is alright. You…you can look in there if you want." Hakuei wasn't very convinced. He looked very worried about it when he said that.

"Are you sure Jafar?" Trying to hide it he smiled and nodded.

"Of course. That is…you'd have to find the key." When she didn't understand it he explained, "Someone hid the key in one of these books a while ago. If you want to get in that door, you'll have to find the key."

"I…I see." That was very vague. How was she supposed to find it, in all the books in that entire library?

"As far as I know, the key is in this part of the library," he gestured to the area that she had been cleaning. "And the book…all I know is that it has something to do with the door. I'm not sure if that helps at all, but unfortunately it is the best I can do." He was right, that didn't help her very much. But it was better than nothing.

Bowing politely she thanked him and he went back to work, leaving her to try and decipher the mystery. _Something with the door, _she pondered. _Maybe it was close to the door? _Walking through she opened all of the books around it, only to find nothing. Taking a step back she tried to examine the door more, wondering if there was any kind of clue it could give. _Door…door…Something about a door?_ Quickly she collected anything book that she thought related to a door, mostly books about architecture. But looking through all of those books she still found nothing. Turning back to the door she tried to find another approach. _ Key…Key…Books about keys? _Again she tried looking through the library for books about keys or had something to do with a key. Unfortunately, she could find nothing. _A secret door in the library….a book about a secret? _Going through all the book she could found all of the books with secret in the label, mystery books and the like. Once again, her search came up hopeless.

She didn't even know how long she had been searching before she collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. _What could it be, _she wondered. _I think I have searched through every book in this whole section already! _A horrible thought occurred to her as she rested on the floor. Maybe the book wasn't in that section of the library anymore. What if it had been moved? She would never find it in all of the books in the palace! "Ugh!" she moaned, falling onto her back. She should just give up. It would be dinner soon, and after cleaning and searching, she was tired. Stretching her arms she pulled herself up, getting ready to leave.

As she did, out of the corner of her eyes, she recognized one of the books on the shelf. Slumping a she walked she went over and picked up the book. When she saw the front cover it brought a small smile to her face.

It was a children's book. One with fairy tales and stories for parents to read to their kids. It was the same copy as the one that she had when she was little, and it brought back many memories. When she was little her elder brother used to read it to her before bed. As soon as she was able to read she would stay up late and read the book in the moonlight. Sometimes when Hakuryuu or her other younger cousins got nightmares she would come and read a story to them. It was one of the only books that she had ever had the privilege of reading when she was younger that she still remembered. Unfortunately, thinking back, the copy that she had had probably been destroyed along with her other possessions. Before she left she would have to ask Jafar if she could borrow it. There were many good stories in the book. Including her favourite one which-

She stopped. And thought about it. Her favourite one. Maybe that was it? Matching it to her scenario, she wondered if it would make sense. it was a wild guess, but if she was lucky the person who had hidden it didn't have such a different way of thinking that she did. As she flipped through the pages, the memory of the story came back to her.

It was a story about a prince who had been cursed to never love anyone. The king had sent many magicians to cure him but none of them ever had. One day the prince went for a ride around his castle and on his trip he saw a peasant girl working in the garden. He grew attached to her very quickly, and she fell in love with him immediately. The girl was so determined to get him to love that she went to find a magician who could help him. Eventually she found a dark magician who said that he would give her a key to unlock his heart, as long as she promised to work for him for the rest of her life. She agreed and sent the key off to the prince. At least, she told him she did. In reality, she kept the key hidden, and waited. When she saw her opportunity, she used it to set herself free, trick the magician into a cage, and locked him in their forever. Then she went back to the prince, used the key to break the curse and they both lived happily ever after. Or, something like that. She just remembered loving the story because it was the peasant girl in the end who had saved the day, and was even able to trick the evil magician. To her it was a pleasant story. She always found it strange that someone would use a key to unlock…

…

…no.

No way.

As she flipped through the book, she could not believe her eyes. On the first page of the story, covering the picture of the prince looking down at the peasant girl, was a small silver key. It was old, used many times, but still shone silver. There was a red ribbon attached to hold it, and Hakuei took it by the ribbon and pulled it up to her eyes. it was in the story. Her favourite story in the entire world. What were the odds?

Hakuei didn't understand it yet, but soon enough she would learn that that wasn't just a coincidence.

At the moment she was too excited to pay attention to that. Instead she ran to the door, got down on her knees and put the key in the lock. It took a few tries but eventually she was able to force the door open. Because of the force she used when she opened the door she stumbled and fell to the ground in her haste.

Her first thought? Ouch.

Her second? That the ground was very cold.

Third? She should get up.

Pulling herself to her feet she gradually began to focus on the things surrounding her. The room was small, the walls cemented smooth, like a tidy prison. There were four bookshelves, two on each side of her. Nothing on the walls, just the boring colour of gray around her. It was very dull compared to the big surprise she had been hoping for.

"Empty?" she exclaimed out loud, to surprised to keep it inside. "Is this it?" hoping for some kind of catch, she began searching through the titles of the books. They were all random, stuff from bibliographies to children's fiction novels. There were some of Sindbad's books, history texts, and different languages, nothing that made even the slightest connection. It was all so random! Angrily she kicked at one of the bookshelves, though all it did was hurt her foot. _How pointless, _she thought to herself. _Why on earth would someone go to all this trouble, to make a room that has absolutely no significance to it! _

When she had kicked the bookshelf, one of the books had slipped and fallen to the ground. It made a loud thud, and echoed through the empty room. The sound made her jump a bit, but when she saw what had caused it, she glared at the book angrily. _Stupid jack and the beanstalk, _she grumbled as she read the title. Bending down she picked up the book by its side, planning on returning it to the bookshelf. But as she did the book flipped open, and she found something was strange about the book.

It was blank.

Flipping through the pages she found it was all blank. Not a single word or picture, or any evidence that there had been any. Puzzled, she went to the cover. At the cover she found it had been glued onto paper to make it look like a book, but there was nothing in it. A sinking feeling came to her, and she reached for another book. It was the same. Pulling and flipping through who knew how many books she always came up with the same conclusion. Empty. Blank. Pointless. _What the heck, _she mused again. _Why on earth would someone put blank books into a room that there is nothing in anyway? What a waste of paper! There would be no reason to do this unless there-_

Unless there really was something in there.

Her previous vigor restored, she started searching again, this time in the books. She had no idea what she was looking for, or what she was even doing, but now that she knew that there was a secret in that room, she had to find it. In her rush she was so excited that she didn't even bother going back to ask Jafar. Instead she just kept flipping through books, hoping she would find some kind of clue to her mystery. One page with a word, a book that's got writing it in, a page that had been ripped out, something! But none of the books that she went through gave her that. All she found was empty pages, and unanswered questions.

It was only when she was putting away the documentary, 'History of the Laem Empire' did she notice the bookshelf. They were all very dusty. Covered in dust bunnies showing that no one went there in months. Or at least whoever went in there never cleaned up after it. The dust gave her an idea. If someone HAD gone in that room…if she was that lucky….then maybe, just maybe, she could use the dust to see what book they had picked up. She had pushed away the dust when she pulled the books out already. So all she had to do was find the book that she hadn't pulled out, and the answer would be in that one. Now much more carefully, she slowly examined all of the shelves. Trying to find the gap in the dust that would give her an answer. A few times she picked up a book that she had already used, and deflated when she saw it wasn't the one she was looking for.

Only when she reached the side that was parallel to the door did she find it. A book with no dust. Absolutely none, proving that it had been used recently. Her heart pounding in her chest she read the side. It was a regular book, one about marketing in Balabaad. But it was a start. When she tried to pull it out though, it didn't come. She pulled again, and it didn't budge. Impatient, she grabbed the top with both hands and struggled against it. This time, it moved. But it didn't come out. Instead, just the top came forward, and as it did, there was the sound of a loud chunk. Confused, she examined the book further.

And found that it wasn't a book. Instead it was a big chunk of metal, and attached to the other side was a chain, going up and into the ceiling. Getting on her tiptoes to see the chain better, she accidentally pulled the book forward. And when the book moved, the chain tightened. When it was pulled, immediately there was the sound of gears grinding in the walls. She jumped back and spun around, trying to find the source. There was none, the sound seemed to come from everywhere.

Then there was a large 'c-chunk.' Spinning around she saw in the wall the disturbance. There was a large rectangular drawer that had shifted forward, just enough so that she could see the frame of it. It was the same colour and make of the wall, and if it hadn't been moved forward, she would have never found it. Walking over, she traced her finger around it. The bottom was a little dusty, but the top and sides were clear and clean. Someone had defiantly been in there recently. _Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to hide whatever is in here, _she noted. If she wasn't so excited, it might have occurred to her that she should stop looking into it. If it was such a big deal that they would hide it so well, she should stop continuing to search. But the part of her brain that was telling her that was shoved away by her curiosity. Instead she tried to wrap her fingers around the top of the drawer so she could pull it out. But the book had only opened it enough so that she could see the shelf but not open it. _Well THAT'S frustrating, _she huffed, putting her hands on her waist. _What now? _

On an off chance, she started looking again for books that didn't have any dust on them. She didn't find it very likely, she had already searched all of them. After another sweep she saw that she was right. All of the books were just as dusty as the rest. So that was it? No, every time that she thought it was it, there was something else to give her the answer. There was something else, there had to be.

But her search came up empty. "Come one Hakuei," she encouraged herself. "There has to be something. Some kind of key…maybe a magic word…"

That could be it. Maybe it was lined with magic, and she had to say something to make it open. There had been doors like that in the dungeon she had went to. It would take a lot of magic power, but it wasn't impossible. Besides, the king had a magician as a general and two magi's who came to visit regularly. But that was just a theory. Walking over she traced the drawer to see if there was a drawing of magic, or something to prove that her theory was right-

"Yes!" underneath, once she had cleared all of the dust away, she saw that just on the edge there was writing. In cursive it was written, 'Speak magic words and your treasure will be found.' She'd found it. What she was looking for was only one more step away.

"Doesn't help me too much to know that," she spoke aloud. "I don't know what to say." What a mystery! There was a million of things she could say, in whatever order. How would she be able to decide what to say? "Um…open sesame?" the drawer didn't budge. "Drat. That worked in the dungeon."

"…chocolate?"

"Sindria?"

"Abracadabra?"

"Please?"

It didn't budge.

What next? There was no way that she would be able to figure out what to say. Sighing she fell against the wall and sat on the ground. Something would come to her. It always did. Eventually she would figure out. Maybe not that day…but she had time. She wasn't leaving that country for a while. That thought brought a dark feeling in her heart and she tried to shake it off. Whenever she was reminded of that it became harder to breathe. Was she going to be stuck there, surrounded by strangers, for the rest of her life? Away from her family, her brother? The people were kind, but could she really trust them? On the other hand, considering all that had happened back at home, what guarantee was there that she could have trusted everyone back at home?

And King Sinbad…what was she supposed to make of him? He didn't like her, that much was clear. He'd never made any attempt to speak to her after that night. It unnerved her how little she knew about him. And now he even knew about her scar. About Isnan. No one was supposed to know about that. How he trained her and...Everything else he had done. It was a dark secret she held. One that she hoped no one else would have found out. How dare he!

"Stupid jerk!" she moaned, hitting her head against the wall. Nothing moved, unlike last time she had hit something. The drawer in question stuck above her and she trained her eyes on her only clue. "Speak the magic words and your treasure will be found. Speak the magic words, and your treasure will be found. Speak the…"

_Wait, _she stopped herself. _Hold on. The? _Reading over the words, she saw that there was no 'the.' It was 'speak magic words,' not 'speak THE magic words.' Was it an accident? No, accidents couldn't be made in magic, Aladdin had told her that once. Than…was it a clue. Speak magic words…speak magic words…oh!

Jumping up she turned to face the drawer. Had she found it? Had she found what she was looking for, would the mystery be solved? There was only one way to be sure. Taking a deep breath she spoke in a loud voice…

"Magic words!"

At first, nothing.

Than it opened.

"YES!" she shouted before clamping her mouth shut. She forgot to stop speaking out loud. Instinctively she looked for people to glare at her, even though there was no one else around. Her face beamed as she hurried over to the drawer and pulled it all the way open.

/

"Jafar, what's up?" Jafar looked up from his work area to see his king standing in the doorway.

"Ah, my king. It's good to see you actually being curious about your work." Sin shuddered and backed up a bit.

"Oh, is that what you're doing? Sorry, I got to go," he pretended to leave and Jafar glared at him. "Aw, come on Jafar, it's a joke," he told him, laughing at his own joke. Jafar just shook his head, signing another document. Sinbad walked over to him and leaned over the desk to see the papers, putting his hands on the desk to lean against them.

Jafar raised an eyebrow at him. "Since I'm not foolish enough to think that your actually here to work," Sinbad smiled sheepishly, "Is there something that I can help you with as well?"

"No, not really. I was just bored. Who else have you helped this fine day?" Jafar hesitated in answering him. He knew how he would react. And he wasn't looking forward to it.

"Princess Hakuei." Sinbad's face fell.

/

_Finally, _she admired her work. _I found it. _

_…__what is it?_

It was a book. Inside the drawer was a large, rectangular book. Wider than most, the cover made of brown leather. On the front of the book was two circles intertwined, coloured silver with writing on it in the Torran language. Her curiosity was KILLING her. Reaching into the book she pulled it out to examine it further. It seemed like an ordinary book. Fairly heavy, with papers stuck in and unorganized. And it was old. Very, very old. The sides were wrinkled with overuse. Someone must have read it frequently.

Honestly, she was expecting more. It didn't look very special. Just a regular book. Maybe it was someone's diary. _I am going to be in SO much trouble when they find out I have this, _were the words that went through her head which she ignored completely. Opening the book she found herself on the first page. Obviously.

On the first page was a drawing. In it there was a bunch all of the generals posing for the artist. It was very realistic, every detail done down to the point. _This must have been when they first found Sindria, _Hakuei assumed. They all looked so much younger than they were when she had met them. Observing the picture she giggled to herself. They all looked so happy. Masrur was much shorter yet just as silent. In the drawing he was calmly ducking while behind him a younger Yamu almost hit him with her staff while trying to aim at Sharkkon who was holding her hat in the air. Hakuei laughed a little bit longer. _Maybe this is a documentary about Sindria, _she considered. It seemed strange that someone would go to such lengths to hide it though. Unless it was their own personal events. Probably belonged to one of the generals.

Everyone in the drawing looked so happy. It was a simpler time, when they were just getting started in Sindria. All of them were so much younger, with much bigger smiles on their faces. And unlike when they were in public, they were all being crazy and honest and unofficial. They all wore different cloths, older and more casual. They were either laughed or waving or hugging their friends with an open joy that was hard to find in people back at the Kou palace. And the others were either fighting or looking confused or just, well, acting like good friends. It was so sweet it warmed her heart. They all looked so young, so happy so…so…

So innocent. _Things really were simpler back then._

She blinked. Why had she thought that? How would she know? Shaking her head she berated herself, telling her to stop making assumptions like that. It may have been harder back then, how would she have known either way? Turning back to the book, she saw the writing underneath it.

'Sinbad and the 9 generals.' Hakuei frowned.

9?

/

"Princess Hakuei," Sinbad mused to himself. "I see." Jafar watched him carefully. He was expecting more of a reaction from him. But for king Sinbad, not reacting was just as bad. He was trying to wave it off as if he was completely uninterested. But he had a hard time succeeding. "Has she met everyone yet?"

Jafar nodded. "Yes, as far as I know." He paused for a moment before continuing, with an edge to his voice. "Well, other than you that is." He blinked, confused.

"What are you talking about? I've talked to her." Jafar stared at his friend with a look_. _Jafar was so used to handling Sinbad, they had a name for the look. The no-you-didn't look. Used more often than to Sinbad's liking. Once when he claimed he wasn't the one who flirted with the queen of the palace they went to and got them chased out by a horde of soldiers.

"Yes, your talk. As in you giving her a bunch of order and then walking out." Sinbad's fists tightened and he straightened. It was unfortunate for his king that Hakuei had told Pisti about it, who had told Sharkkon, who told Spartos, who told Drakkon, who told Masrur who told him. It was very hard to keep secrets if you were a general or associating with them.

"…that still counts as a talk." Jafar sighed and pinched the brim of his nose.

"What happened Sinbad? You were supposed to tell her everything when you first met her. That was the plan wasn't it? You were going to explain why she was her and what you know about her! Now all you've done is made her more confused and even more stressed about being here."

Sinbad shook his and spoke with authority, "I know that Jafar. But I think I'll wait to let her adjust to being here first. Then I'll tell her why." Jafar knew that it wasn't that simple.

"And just when will you decide that she has completely adjusted? In a week? Or never?" Sinbad didn't respond. Jafar understood why he was doing this. He was his closest friend, advisor, and one of the few people who understood the truth about him. And it was because he knew that truth about him that he understood why he was having a hard time explaining everything to her. But that didn't mean it was good for him.

Before Jafar could push the subject though, Sinbad asked him, "What did you help her with?" uh-oh. That wasn't going to help Jafar.

"She wanted permission…to go to the back room."

"…what."

/

9? There weren't nine generals. There were only eight, right? Mentally she ran through all of them in her head. Drakkon, Yamuriha, Pisti, Hinahoho Sharrkon, Spartos, Masrur and Jafar. That was only eight. Maybe the artist accidentally miscounted? Or had included Sinbad in that number, adding him as a general and king? No, that didn't make sense, besides, it was Sinbad AND the 9 generals. Oh dear. She wondered if there was someone that they had lost before…no, wait. She had read the general history of Sindria, and there was always only 8 generals. Then why in that drawing was there 9?

Confused, she searched the drawing for the ninth general. There was Masrur ducking to try and avoid getting hit by Yamu's staff which was aimed at Sharkkon. Yamu angrily trying to destroy Sharkkon with her staff. Sharkkon who had been laughing but slipped and narrowly missed getting hit by her staff and fell into Hinahoho. Hinahoho who didn't notice, smiling and waving at the camera. Jafar who stood in a calm official stance with his hands folded in front of him. Drakkon was kneeling next to Spartos holding Pisti on his shoulders. Pisti was very young in the picture, both arms raised and appeared to be laughing so happily Hakuei could practically hear it. Spartos stood next to them with a shy smile, both hands holding onto the spear and partly hiding behind it. Sinbad was standing in front of everyone, winking at the camera with a big smile on his face. He looked so happy, happier than she had ever seen him. well, she'd only seen him twice, so that wasn't much to go on.

_'__What?' _she puzzled._ 'There's only 8 generals here. Where is the ninth?' _She decided it had to be a mistake. There was only 8 generals in that drawing and nine people in total. Ther was no tenth.

/

"You did WHAT?"

"She asked if she could go in, and I said yes."

"Why on earth did you do that? How did she even find the room?" Jafar shrugged, trying to appear undeterred. Sinbad on the other hand was blazing, his fists clenched in anger on the desk. His king hardly ever showed his anger out loud, unless it was towards Yunan or in battle. The fact that he was, right then was huge.

"Did you really think that she wouldn't be able to? It's her of all people." Sinbad didn't respond, to furious to. "My king, you can relax. Yes she's found the room, but there is no guarantee she can open it. And even if she did," Sinbad interrupted him before he could finish.

"We both know that if anyone can open that door it is her!" Jafar made no argument while Sinbad paced back and forth, trying to think of a solution to his problem. "Yes, she'll be able to get into the room. The hiding place for the key wasn't that good…but if she finds that book…Jafar, she cannot find the book!"

"There's no guarantee that she will Sinbad. She might give up after seeing that there is nothing but blank books in the room." Sinbad was about to nod, than stopped. He had picked up on something VERY wrong with what Jafar had said.

"…no guarantee that she WILL? Where is she now?" Jafar was about to say he didn't know, then stopped. Oops. Right, he did know.

"I think she's in the room right now."

/

Her heart told her to keep looking, but her head told her, what was the point? There was no one else in the drawing, just the nine of them. It was a mistake, the artist must have miscounted. Why was she spending so much time on that first page when there was still so much more in that book that she wanted to discover? Angry with herself she planned on turning the page over.

Then she realized her hand was covering a part of the picture. It was the part right next to King Sinbad, part of his arm disappearing with them. That must have been the ninth general. Excited, she started pulling her hand away from the drawing. Until she was interrupted.

"What are you doing?"

The sound of someone else made her jump. Right, she wasn't the only person alive in the world. Swiftly she turned to the doorway and saw King Sinbad standing in it. He was staring at her with wild eyes, mouth open when he saw her holding the book. That wasn't what made her stop. Along with the shock, there was anger. And a whole lot of it.

It was so startling that she couldn't find her words. "I-I'm sorry," she fumbled out. "I was just reading it..." Sinbad didn't wait for an explanation. Angrily he stomped over and stole the book away from her before she got to see who was in the drawing.

"What on earth are you doing in this room? Who told you that you could read this book?" She stuttered, at a loss for words. Not to mention, his anger genuinely frightened her. She couldn't remember the last time she had bene frightened by someone who was not from al-thamen.

"N-no one told me I could read it. J-Jafar said I could come in the room, so I thought," again he interrupted her, unconsciously screaming in his wrath.

"Don't you think if someone went to so much work to hide it, that it would be a SECRET?" her tongue went limp in her mouth as she shuddered under his anger. He was so angry it was frightening. Fearfully she took a step back but he followed her. "This book was well hidden for a REASON! I didn't want anyone looking at it! What makes you think that you can just waltz in here and go looking around at other people's property?"

"I-I'm sorry!" she pleaded, her back hitting the wall. He towered over her and she cowered under his gaze. It was humiliating, a general like her being so afraid of him. At least trying to attempt to look brave she stood up straighter and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I was just curious, I didn't realize that it would be that big of a deal,"

"Well keep your CURIOSITY under wraps while you are here, Princess Hakuei," he barked at her. She shuddered and her bravery fell. She felt like she was a sheep hoping that she wasn't going to be eaten by the wolf. He was so angry, breathing heavily and fists clenched so tight at his sides that they had turned white. Hakuei was shaking from his anger, unable to stop her heart from beating so quickly. A million miles per hour. _S-stop, _she told herself. _Y-you're a general, don't cower in fear of him! You're strong to, so act like it! _Taking a deep breath she risked the chance to look in his eyes.

Their eyes locked. She saw the anger in his.

And he saw the fear in hers. The fear that he had caused.

At that realization his mood softened. Not enough so that he wasn't angry at her any more, but at least she wasn't afraid. Holding the book tightly he put it under his arm. "I command you to never, EVER look in this book again." Her bracelet stung her much too hard for her liking. But even though she should have just kept her mouth shut and back off, the part of her that told her to do that seemed to have taken a vacation that day.

"Why not? What's in the book?" Sinbad's glare returned, less frightful than before.

"That's none of your business." But she persisted. She was afraid, very afraid. But she was taught by her brother to always fight to get her answers.

"If it's such a big deal I think I should at least be given a reason as to why. This bracelet stops me from doing anything you know. If there's something in there that I should see I won't be able to."

"There is NOTHING that I EVER want you to see in here, ARE WE CLEAR?" he shouted so loudly that the nearer books shook from the vibrations. Hakuei jumped back and forced her mouth shut. For a moment they both stood there, processing what they had just done. Hakuei couldn't decide if she was angry with him, or if she was embarrassed for being caught doing something that she hadn't. In Sinbad's face, she couldn't decide what he was thinking. She never could. Probably never would.

After the pause Sinbad spun around and headed out of the room. As he left Hakuei saw Jafar watching in the other room, staring at his king in surprise. And also it looked like…Pity? Really? Pity him? She was the one that he had yelled at! As Sinbad passed him he huffed at him, "She won't find it huh?" Jafar didn't respond, just watch in silence as his king walked past him and out of the library, slamming the doors shut behind him. The room was left in complete silence, the only sound his footsteps from the hallway slowly getting quieter and quieter until they completely disappeared.

Quietly, Jafar turned back to Hakuei. For him, Hakuei quickly felt guilty. "I-I'm really sorry. I didn't think that it was that big a deal," But Jafar shook his head.

"No, don't worry. It's really not your fault, I shouldn't have given you permission to go in there. I didn't realize that you would find the book…it was hidden so well…" that was true, she had to admit. If she hadn't been so determined she probably wouldn't have found it. Jafar shook his head again, debating what to do next. "I'll go talk to King Sinbad, don't worry. You should… you might want to go back to your room for now." Before she could say anything he also turned and left, leaving Hakuei to soak in her guilt and confusion.

Only a few days into her stay and she was already causing problems.

She really missed home.

/

"Sinbad. Sinbad!" Jafar shouted, running after his king. Sinbad didn't slow down for his advisor, angrily stomping through the hallway. The servants and soldiers walking past him watched the scene in confusion, all whispering to each other and starting to spread rumors. _Oh dear,_ Jafar thought to himself. King Sinbad was hardly ever angry in public. That was not a good look to have in front of his subjects. Jafar ran even harder to try and catch up to him. "Sinbad, please wait!"

Eventually they ran into Masrur. "Masrur, help!" Masrur was confused, but he hurried to get in Sinbad's path so that he couldn't get away. Sinbad barely struggled, knowing that there was no point. Jafar would find him eventually. Panting Jafar hurried to catch up to them. "Good. Now can we please talk in a place that has less people around?" Sinbad didn't respond, but Masrur nodded. Taking his king by the shoulders he guided them into an empty room, shutting the door behind them.

Catching his breath, Jafar turned on his king. Sinbad didn't have any emotion on his face, other than a firm anger that showed no chance of changing. Jafar panted, and Masrur watched the scene in silent confusion. Once he caught his breath, Jafar forced out, "Sinbad…cough…What was that?" in a flash Sinbad turned on him, angry again.

"What was that? What did you do? If you hadn't let Hakuei in that room, none of that wouldn't have happened!" Masrur's eyes widened at the mention of the room, and his eyes focused on the book in Sinbad's arm. There was a flash of shock in his eyes and he looked up at Jafar for confirmation. He nodded, and Masrur's jaw tightened just a bit.

"Sinbad, I already apologized for letting her in that room,"

"No you didn't!" details, details!

"Okay, I'm sorry for letting her in that room, I had no idea that she was going to be able to find it."

"You should have," Sinbad accused him. "We both know how determined and smart she is! You should have denied it even existing!"

"She found it herself!" Jafar argued with him. "And that's not what we are talking about here Sinbad! Do you know what you just did?" Sinbad huffed and turned away from him. "Don't try avoiding this Sinbad! Did you even see her face when you yelled at her? She was terrified! Of you! Was that part of your great plan? Good luck trying to explain anything to her now! She's going to want nothing to do with you now!"

"Fine," Sinbad shouted in his anger. "That's just fine with me! It was a mistake to bring her here, let's just send her home right now!" turning on his heels he headed to the door. This time Masrur knew better than to stop him. Instead he just walked out of the way and allowed his king to burst through the doors, stomping away. Masrur and Jafar watched him walk away. This time Jafar was too tired to follow, and he sat down in despair. Masrur remained silent for a while, then offered a bit of help.

"…He'll apologize later." Jafar nodded, already coming to that conclusion. Of course he would. There king would feel bad about what he had done later.

"I know," Jafar spoke to him. "And he probably didn't mean that either. About sending her home." Masrur waiting in silence, allowing his friend to vent to him without interruptions. "But the thing is Masrur…

It really might have been better if she never came."

**Merry Boxing Day! This one's a little late, sorry. I had a hard time writing it with Christmas and the Christmas story I wrote. Anyway I worked hard on this one, so I hope you all like it!**


	6. Adapting to Sindria

Adapting to Sindria

Waking up is never a pleasant feeling. You enjoy the feeling of bliss you have in your dreams, as long as it isn't a nightmare. Luckily, Hakuei wasn't having a nightmare that night. Her dream was a happy one, one where she was with her cousins and brother and even Seisyuun and Judal. They were all having a great picnic in the mountains, every one of them smiling. Koumei was even smiling in his sleep. Kougyoku was fighting with Judal over the last piece of cake. Hakuryuu was talking to Kouen about military actions. Even Seisyuun was talking to Kouha about what colour was the best. And by the way, she cooked the food! Everyone loved it to, even Hakuryuu who always vowed he never would eat his sister's food again. That probably should have clued her into the fact that it was a dream. That, and the fact that the ocean was purple and the mountains were made of silk. And the fire breathing dragon in the corner of her eye.

But even when she woke up, she wished she could go back to the dream. Especially when she noticed the unblinking eyes staring down at her.

"Hi Hakuei!"

"YIKES!" Hakuei fell out of the bed in her stumble, leaving Pisti standing on the bed in confusion. Pulling the blankets off of her she found Yamu, Jafar and Spartos standing in front of her as well, all fully dressed and expectant. She was still wearing her nightgown!

"What are you all doing in my room?" Pisti jumped down and grinned a sweet grin that Hakuei didn't fall for.

"Hurry and get up will you? It's time to go shopping!" Hakuei blinked. Go shopping. She was waking her up, before the sun was even out, pushed her out of her bed, and probably bruised her in a few places, just so she could go SHOPPING?

"Do. You. KNOW. What. TIME. It is?" all of them jumped back at her dark tone. Everyone back in Kou knew how dangerous it was to wake her up in the morning. The generals were finally starting to see how she was related to her cousin Koumei. Reminding herself that she was a guest, she tried to shake off her anger. There was no point in getting angry at them then. Besides, they were going to help HER find stuff that she needed. It would be rude to complain. Wiping the sleep out of her eyes to glanced at the group around her. "Why are all of you coming? I thought it was only Yamu who wanted to come shopping."

Pisti huffed. "Well I couldn't just let Yamu be in charge of you getting your new cloths. Have you SEEN the drabs that she wears?" Yamu glared at her but gave no comeback.

"Pisti dragged me into it," Spartos yawned, looking just as sleepy as Hakuei was.

"I didn't' believe them when they said they wouldn't buy stuff for themselves," Jafar told her, sending cautious glares to the rest of the group who fidgeted sheepishly. "I already made sure Sinbad knows where you are going, so that the bracelet won't stop you." Oh. She had forgotten about that.

"Just give me a moment to get dressed, okay?" Spartos and Jafar nodded, both of them giving a polite bow before leaving. Yamu and Pisti on the other hand stayed right where they were. "Um…would you two mind leaving as well?" Yamu looked like she was going to, but Pisti stopped her.

"No! We have to take your measurements before we go shopping of course!" Hakuei wasn't used to having people take her measurements. At Kou, they never cared if the cloths were too big because that would make them all warmer. One size fits all back there. Before Hakuei could get her bearings Pisti pulled her up and Yamu pulled out a measuring tape. "Okay, let's do your arms first!"

"Are you sure you know how to do this?" Hakuei asked when Yamu accidentally pulled out a ruler and started measuring too far to the side. Pisti huffed and stole the actual measuring tape from her.

"Well maybe she doesn't," again, Yamu had no argument. "But I can! Who else do you think helped the girls of this country with their great fashion sense?" Hakuei remembered back to when she had been walking around the town seeing the citizens. If her country saw her wearing an outfit with that much skin showing, she could be killed! Literally, princesses had been executed in the past for being to 'revealing.'

Desperately she turned to Yamu for help and she quickly reassured her. "Don't worry, we know your culture has specific rules for how you dress. That's why we brought Spartos, his cultures clothing restrictions is very similar to yours." Pisti huffed indignantly at the comment as she made Hakuei raise her arms to measure her stomach.

"Which I think is really stupid. What's wrong with showing a little skin? It's proving that you are confident in how you look! Girls shouldn't have to hide!"

"I don't think of it as having less confidence," Hakuei told her as she told Yamu to write down the measurements. "I just feel more exposed wearing that. It's more comfortable for me to wear longer cloths since it's what I'm used to. when I was little I had a lot of scars, and since princesses weren't supposed to wear scars they made me hide them, so I got used to the clothing quickly. Besides, I think that girls can be just as confident wearing longer cloths as they are wearing smaller cloths." Yamu smiled at her approvingly before shooting an I-told-you-so look to Pisti. Again Pisti just shrugged, jumping down to take measurements of her waist.

"You don't have any reason to hide your scars here. No one is perfect." _But princesses are supposed to look like it, _Hakuei thought but decided was best to keep to herself. That was another reason her sisters, minus Kougyoku, never really approved of her. She didn't fit the princess image. There were scars all over her, she took much less time doing her hair, her cloths were simple and plain and she didn't wear the same amount of makeup. When she was little she always told them she was too busy to care about stuff like that. But because of it, her uncle never put her into marriage for a treaty, because sending a girl with so many scars could be seen as an insult to a country. Hakuei tried not to let it get to her.

Holding the measuring tape up to her leg Pisti continued. "I'm not giving up though. Sometime in your stay, I'm going to make sure you wear one of my styles of clothing! Don't worry, I'm going to make it the best one yet!" Hakuei glanced down at the short pants and small top that she wore. Than looked to Yamu in horror. Yamu just gave her a sorrowful look. She had also been forced to suffer the same fate. _Good luck my friend, _she saluted her when Pisti wasn't looking.

So to appease Pisti, she gave a better explanation. "I also get cold very easily." Pisti blinked.

"Oh. Never mind then." And she stopped that conversation, leaving Yamu wondering why she hadn't thought of that.

/

It didn't take long for Hakuei to eat her breakfast and the group to head on out. Pisti skipped along happily, the rest of them following along, just because they had no other choice. Hakuei tried to tell them that they didn't have to come, but was secretly hoping that they didn't leave. She didn't want Pisti to be the one to get all of her cloths. Even when they all were there, Pisti still convinced the group to get side tracked quite a few times.

"Come on, let's go and find you some decorations!" Pisti pulled Hakuei into what looked like a home decorating store. It was mostly sea themed, with sea shells and boats. But there were some flowers and paintings that Hakuei thought looked cool.

"Pisti, I don't need any decorations. We already got all I need!" it had only taken them a hour or so to get all of the necessities for Hakuei, other than clothing. Pisti insisted it would take much longer for her to get clothing. But for now she had all she needed. Personal hygiene tools, papers to write on, makeup stuff, some weapons (Even though she couldn't use them there) and even some tools so that she could do her sewing. But every once in a while Pisti would get side tracked and buy her stuff that she really didn't need. A brand new vase, picture frames, a bathrobe, high heels that she would NEVER wear, snacks that could be saved in her room, and even some window decorations. Now they were in a store called house incorporated trying to find more decorations.

"Oh don't worry about it. You're going to be here for a while, your house should look absolutely lovely!" before Hakuei could argue Pisti jumped away and started searching through the products with an expert eye. "Now let's see…the vase that we got for you was purple, yes?"

In the end, Pisti had somehow convinced Jafar to buy Hakuei a tea cup, some purple flowers, coasters, a painting of a valley and even some lanterns to decorate her room. Hakuei apologized to him again and again for making him buy so much. While at the same time Jafar was apologizing to her again and again for having Pisti force her to keep all these things. Yamu and Spartos just watched, mildly amused.

She didn't know how long it took for her to actually be brought to a clothing store. And when they actually got there, both Yamu and Spartos stopped them all at the door. "Pisti, you don't get to pick." Pisti looked like she was going to cry.

"What do you mean I don't get to pick her cloths? This is the best part!" Jafar got in on it and shook his head at her.

"Pisti, Hakuei's culture is very specific on the types of cloths she is allowed to wear publically. And the cloths that you like to wear aren't things that she is comfortable wearing. Besides, you got to pick everything else."

"But the cloths is the fun part," she whined loudly. Was she really supposed to be in her 20's? "I promise I'll be good! Hakuei already told me that she gets cold really easily! I can respect that!" none of them looked like they believed her. Hakuei, starting to feel sorry for her, patted her on her shoulder.

"Thank you for offering to help Pisti, but I'm sure I can handle this. It's just a few cloths,"

"DRESSES!"

"-Sorry, a few dresses that I can wear for while I am here. We won't even take that long!" None of them looked very convinced at that. Pisti still looked like she was going to cry, sniffling with eyes watering. "I mean, you got to pick out the other things!" her eyes grew very big. "You can help me decorate when I get home!" The lower lip started quivering. "D-don't worry, it will be fine really! It's not that big of a deal!" a single tear fell down her cheek. "Okay, okay I'm sorry, you can come in!" Yamu groaned and Jafar face slapped himself. Sheepishly she tried to give them an appeasing smile. "I'm sorry guys. I'm bad with tears!"

"You're going to have a hard time with Pisti as your friend than," Spartos mumbled under his breath. Pisti was the only one who looked excited with the new development.

"Yay! This is going to be amazing! You won't regret this, I promise."

She already did.

The place that they went to had more cloths than Hakuei had ever seen. There were dresses, snow suits, accessories, all kinds of things. The walls were painted silver and gold, with pillars for the doorway. Around her, she was surrounded by different examples of clothing, many kinds of displays, and even some posters for sales and the best cloths. There were many other people there shopping as well, most of them bored and dull compared to Hakuei's shocked face. Since Hakuei was royalty, she had never been allowed to pick her cloths, or see where people got them. That store was the first experience Hakuei ever had with cloth's shopping.

Pisti on the other hand was completely natural in that store. She was in her element, weaving her way through the store and finding exactly the kind of display that she wanted. "Let's see…do you have a favourite colour?" Hakuei had never really paid too much attention to colours. All the princess's garments were pink though so…

"Pink?" Pisti frowned at her answer.

"Really? I would have thought looked best on you. Oh well," she shrugged, and began rummaging around the pink dresses. Spartos walked over to make sure she didn't pick something to elaborate while Jafar sat at the side looking very bored. It was evident to see that Jafar wasn't used to those kinds of places, fidgeting nervously and glancing at the door frequently. Yamu looked a little more interested, but after a bit of looking she decided she didn't like anything they had on display.

With a bored shrug she walked over to Hakuei's side. Hakuei turned and gave her a small smile. "I suppose shopping isn't really my thing." Yamu smiled and shrugged.

"Mine neither. Don't worry, she can't take that long…" she trailed off realizing that was a lie. "Er, I'm sure Jafar will hurry her up if it takes to long." Both of them glanced back at Jafar when he accidentally knocked into a cloths rack. "Or if he just gets annoyed enough." Hakuei laughed a bit.

"It's really alright. I'm grateful for all you are doing for me. In most countries I visit, people don't often want to socialize, much less become friends," she said quickly, but then wondered if she should take it back. They hadn't said that they wanted to be friends, just that they were helping her find cloths. Either way, it was more than she had gotten from other countries. When she went there it was for business, so people either wanted to use her or discuss government and treaties with her.

But Yamu just laughed, so Hakuei relaxed again. "Aw, don't worry about it. it's always nice to have more civilized people around here," the way that she spoke 'civilized' made her think that she was referring to someone in particular. But Hakuei didn't know her well enough to be sure who it was. Most likely Sharkkon. "Besides, you're going to be here for a while. You should have some friends. Honestly it feels like I've known you for all my life. I'm not sure why. It's weird, but we all feel really comfortable around you." Hakuei suppressed the slight frown that had tried to appear. No one had said that to her before, especially after only a few weeks. It was strange, but thinking about it, Hakuei wondered if she felt the same way. It was strange. She only met them not that long ago, only socialized with them a few times, and yet felt more relaxed around them than she did with people in her own country.

Whether it was weird or not, Hakuei decided to let it go since she had done the same for her. "Again, thank you for your kindness. I hope I can repay it someday," She gave a slight bow, being a bit to formal. Yamu just grinned back at her.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, if you have to stay here long enough, you might even be able to become a general!" she couldn't stop the frown that came to her with that idea. A general. She was supposed to be a general to KOU. Not the country she hardly knew about. The reminder that she might never be able to go back to her country and continue her duties brought her down.

And even if she wasn't a general of her own country, she did not want to be a general to that one. Yes, she was starting to make friends with the other generals, but she had not become so comfortable with their king. How was she supposed to serve a man she trusted and knew so little about? The last time she had seen him, a few weeks from that point, he looked angry enough to have her beheaded. The worst part was, since she was there under his will, if he wanted he could. That thought sent shivers up her spine.

Yamu had planned on asking her what was wrong, but got interrupted. "Okay princess Hakuei, I got some cloths!" before she could react, Pisti threw a humongous pile on top of her, sending her staggering backwards and struggling to hold it all in place. It was all a mix of pink, purple, white and some blue outfits as well. "Go try them on!"

"A-all of this?" Hakuei questioned, knocking into one of the shelves behind her. She looked to Jafar for help, but he looked just as lost as she was. "I don't think I have ever OWNED this many dresses before!"

"Then you are in for a treat!" Pisti laughed, pushing the taller girl along. "Come on, the change rooms are in the back!" _oh dear. _

/

In the end of the trip, Pisti came out disappointed. She dragged her feet across the ground, pouting and staring at the stone bath in front of her. Jafar groaned and berated her for it. "Oh let it go Pisti," Jafar told her. "She picked some of the cloths that you gave her didn't she? You should have known that she wasn't going to like all of them!"

"But she only picked three," she mumbled, kicking a rock with her toe. Jafar rolled his eyes as he carried one of the boxes that held her cloths. It was lighter than he had thought.

After trying on what felt like a million different outfits, Hakuei had settled on three that she was comfortable in and thought looked nice. One had a traditional silk shirt with long sleeves and a silver line that went up the middle and lined the edges. It was light pink with a design that matched the darker pink skirt doing with it that went just above her knees. It wasn't good for her culture though, so she had to get a pair of white pants to go underneath it and tall pink shoes. She thought it would be a good casual outfit.

Next she got one very similar to her cultures, but without as many layers. It had a light outer coat, white with pink flowers around it. The edges of the sleeves, bottom and sides where dark pink, matching the belt and the thin under-dress. It showed her figure more than she would have liked, but it was fine. It didn't reveal any skin at all, except for the neck and head. Probably the most appropriate for her culture.

The third one she was the least comfortable with. It was a casual summer dress, pink top and lighter pink skirt. The skirt was fine, going all the way to almost cover her feet. But the top was sleeveless, showing off her shoulders and the scars on them. Eventually she agreed that if she left her hair out and wore long gloves it was alright. Pisti even suggested that she got a haircut so that it would be easier for her to let her hair loose without it getting in the way. "Not that much shoulder," she told her. "Just so that it's not below your wait. Then you don't have to worry about it getting caught on anything." She wasn't against the idea. In fact it sounded like a good one. But she was exhausted with shopping that day.

Since those were the best choices for her, and no one other than Pisti had the energy for more shopping, they got 4 of each outfit, agreeing that they could go get more if she needed it. She doubted she would. The five all headed back to the palace, Jafar and Spartos holding the two boxes. Hakuei had wanted to carry them, but they both insisted they could. Once they arrived at the palace the servants had taken her new things to her room. Jafar and Yamu both went in their own directions, saying that they had to get work done. Pisti left to, just too upset to do anything other than pout for the day. That left her with Spartos. At first, it was awkward.

Then Spartos had an idea.

/

"Be careful princess Hakuei!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" gingerly she steered the boat away from the rocks. Everyone on the ship fell to the side as they narrowly avoided getting skewered. She smiled sheepishly at the two generals behind her. "Ah…we lived."

Spartos just shrugged while Hinahoho laughed. Spartos had been told that Hakuei hadn't gone on a ship before she had come to Sindria, so he offered to teach her to steer one. They had found Hinahoho leading the navy on a quick ride around to island and agreed to let the two of them on board. He certainly was glad he had made that deal. He had been expecting a really bored survey of the island, but instead got entertainment watching the princess throw the boat side to side.

"Maybe I should take a break," she told them, handing the wheel to another ship member. "But thank you for teaching me! I've never been able to steer a boat before."

"It's alright. I'm glad you enjoyed it." he had felt sorry for the princess over the first few weeks watching her roam the halls with a bored expression on her face. After that she looked much happier.

"Yes, thank you! I can't wait to show Hakuryuu when I get home what I have learned." At her words, Spartos frowned, but Hakuei ignored the look and turned to the sea. He had probably already come to the same conclusion that she had. That it was unlikely for her to go home. She knew that, yet wasn't ready to talk about it.

For most of the ride, nothing happened.

Then there was a loud BANG! The ship was thrown to the side, and this time not from Hakuei's poor driving. She fell to the ground, knocking her head on the wooden floor. groaning she pulled herself up, the sounds of soldiers yelling and running all around her making her head hurt even more. There was what sounded like people jumping on the deck, something whooshing through the air, and people talking in an accent that was hard for her to recognize. But she did. it was from the southern tribes, ones that were mostly on their own. She had been there a few times in the past. But they shouldn't have been there.

It was the sound of metal clashing that brought her to her feet.

Jumping up she saw that a battle had started around her. Fighters and soldiers were dancing with men with cocky grins and strange hats. Glancing over she realized that the BANG she had heard was their ship knocking into another. _Where had it come from, _she questioned, only to have her question answered a second later. On the bottom were magic sinkers, things that made a ship able to go underwater and still let the crew breathe. Spinning around her she tried to find a familiar face. Instinctively she reached for her sword, only to be stopped by the bracelet. She had thought it only stopped her from hurting Sindria's residents! Maybe it couldn't tell the difference. That was GREAT!

Spinning on her heels she tried to spot out Spartos. He was fighting a group of men at the wheel, while Hinahoho was fighting off another at starboard side. It looked like they were both debating whether they should use their metal vessels, for fear that they would break the ship. Desperate to help she thought to herself as if she was talking to the bracelet, _they are not from Sindria, they are not from Sindria, and they are not from Sindria. _

As she glanced at the crew, she realized how true this statement was. They all had darker skin, much too dark to be because of Sindria's sun. Their eyes were bright and green, and they had many different kinds of haircuts. Short, long, half shaved, bald, one with a Mohawk. They wore cloths that were rough and reckless, not caring what happened to them or what they were wearing. All of them were jeering and laughing, as if the whole fight was a game. A sinking feeling washed up in her when she saw the way that they fought.

Then she noticed their black flag.

_Pirates! _

Then there was a loud THUD. All the fighting stopped, mostly out of surprise. All eyes turned to the front of the ship where a new member had arrived. This one looked like the leader. He wore a large black coat, had a big hat and two magic guns at either side. His smirk was riddled with confidence as he surveyed the crowed silently. With dramatic slowness he took a step forward, than another and another. His footsteps echoing though the ship. He grinned at everyone there.

"Well what da we have here boys," he spoke with a heavy accent, addressing the soldiers. "Some group o' navy coming to attack our ship? Got some guts dontcha?" his words brought a thought to Hakuei's head. They attacked them? Sindria attacked the pirates? Maybe when they had hit their ship, it wasn't them coming to attack them, but just them rising out of the water. And then it had been misinterpreted as an attack. But what really got to her was how familiar his voice sounded.

"Strong words from a pirate," Spartos spoke up, he and Hinahoho walking over to face him. "How did you get into our borders?"

"If you are here to attack, we'll make you regret it," Hinahoho threatened, raising his weapon in the air. Their leader raised an eyebrow at him, undeterred.

"Oh really? I ain't think we gonna regret nothing." Reaching up, he twisted at the metal chain around his neck. "We ain't your regular pirates ya know." Then he twisted the necklace so they could all see. Hakuei gasped.

It was a dungeon's metal vessel. He was a dungeon capturer. But that wasn't what made her gasp.

_SHE KNEW HIM! _

"K!" she called, and all eyes turned to her. She ignored them, running up to the pirate leader. "K, don't attack them they didn't mean to hit your ship! They weren't asking for a fight, it was an accident!" for a moment the leader looked at her with a blank expression. But it quickly turned to a happy smile.

"Kiddo! Well if it ain't princess Hakuei." Happily he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, squeezing the life out of her. The rest of the group stared in shock at the scene before them, all but the crewmembers. They all lowered their swords at the sight of their leader relaxing, then mimicked his smiles when they saw who he was hugging. The older man laughed and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Ya gone and grown up like a real women didn't ya?" annoyed she pushed his hand off of her head. Now it looked like a birds nest.

"Of course I did! It's been years since you saw me, and I grew up!" The man laughed and pulled her in for a half hug, arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Wouldn't a believed if I didn't see if fer myself. Can't stop picturin' ya as that crying little kid who was always fallin' asleep in the day."

"I never cried!"

"Um, princess Hakuei," Spartos spoke up, reminding them that they were there. "Do you know this man?"

She brightened. "Oh, yes. I met him once when I was little and got lost. He made sure I got home safely. Don't worry about them being pirates, they don't kill needlessly and they only steal from other pirates." Sounded like a good group of pirates to Spartos. He never thought there was a kind. K, if that really was his name, waved at his pirates to calm down. He wasn't about to attack the ship of an old friend. Hakuei decided it was best not telling him that she wasn't actually from their country.

"Pirates all the same," Hinahoho said begrudgingly. "How did you all get into our borders? We didn't let any of you through last I checked." K snickered his pirate grin, but gave the answer away willingly.

"We got in by the hole in the sheild," K told him nonchalantly. "It ain't everywhere, but there's a problem with it over in the east. You can get through easy."

"What?" Spartos spoke up, alarmed. "How? What happened to it?" K just shrugged.

"How should I now feller? It ain't my business. I just got through here and am headin' back the same way." Hinahoho and Spartos both glanced at each other nervously. The sheild was part of Yamu's personal design. There was no reason that it should have been failing. Someone would have had to have a lot of magic power to be able to damage the shield that Yamu had worked so hard to make, and had so far only been broken by a small number of people. Among them Judal and Yunan, two magi's. Who could be on parallel power with them?

Hinahoho spoke up after being mostly silent throughout the conversation. "Would you please show us where the sheild has been damaged? We need to see what happened as soon as possible." It was a reasonable request, but K turned to glare at the larger man.

"What reason have I got to help yawls fix yer ol' sheild? Ain't my problem. And we ain't friend o' no soldiers from this Sindria place o' yours. I ain't never laid eyes on it before today. Why shouldn't I send yawl to your watery deaths, eh?" at his words the pirates behind him all raised their swords once again, threatening to attack. As soon as they did, the Sindrian soldiers took up arms as well. Spartos and Hinahoho started charging their metal vessels, while K raised his hand to call on his djinn and his wife raised her own metal vessel. Hakuei knew that the two groups were evenly matched.

And it would be a blood bath.

"K, wait!" she jumped in front of her friend, all eyes turned to her. "There is no reason to fight. I know that you don't know about this country, but I do and you don't have to worry about them. They won't attack you unless you attack them, they are not looking for a battle. You may be very strong, but they are as well. Both of those two are metal users," she told him, pointing to the two of them. "And their king has conquered multiple dungeons. They are strong, but they don't want battle, and I know you don't want to let any of your crew die," she gestured to the pirates. K looked back at them quickly before shifting back to meet her eyes. "The K I knew long ago was clever and cautious. He only stole from other pirates and evil kingdoms, but this country isn't either of those. They can even be your allies if you work with them. But don't fight, no side will come up victorious. Just show them where the damage in the sheild is, and they will be on their way."

A silence hung over the ship once she had finished. Everyone waited cautiously for K to make his response, the only sound the waves crashing against the sides. Hakuei held her breath, waiting for his answer. She also remembered K as a stubborn man, one that was hard to convince once he had made up his mind. But she hoped, after telling him that their king was a fellow dungeon capturer, as well as put his crew's life on the line, that he would be more reasonable. For a moment it looked like he wasn't going to change his mind. Glancing back at his wife though, he saw her shake her head cautiously. He always took his wife's feelings into account. After another agonizingly long moment, he turned back to Hakuei with a big grin.

"Well ain't you all grown up kid," he told her messing with her hair again. "Acting all professional and all." He laughed easily, and at his laugh the pirates all lowered their swords. The Sindrian soldiers followed suit, Spartos and Hinahoho's weapons stopping their glow.

Still laughing he hugged Hakuei so tight she thought he would crush her. "Alright. I'll show ya'll where the damage is. But I ain't wanting ya'll soldiers on my ship."

"O-okay," Hakuei struggled out. "Just me and the generals than. Is that alright?" he nodded, hugging her tight before letting go. Turning back to his crew he began barking orders with them, making them all prepare for takeoff. As she fell to the ground Spartos hurried over to help her up.

"Thanks," he told her with a gentle smile. Once she'd been able to breathe again she smiled at him.

"No problem." they smiled at each other as Hakuei pulled herself apart. "It's the least I can do." Spartos looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it.

"Your country made a treaty with pirates?" she laughed at the thought of her cousin Kouen shaking K's hand.

"No. I know him from a…personal relationship." Her mind drifted back to when she was a kid meeting K for the first time. _"What kind of a name is K," _she had asked him. _"It's my name, got a problem with that?" _the memory brought a smile to her face.

It took a moment for her to realize that Spartos was looking at her. "What?" he didn't respond for a moment, probably trying to decide how to word it. But when he did, he said it with a finality that would not be swayed.

"Princess," Spartos started cautiously. "You have been talking to us about how Sinbad is hiding many things from you. But it seems like you also have your fair share of secrets as well."

Yeah. She knew.

….

"The damage to the wall is over in the east, not that large, but enough for a boat to get through. We currently have a ship watching the area until it can be fixed, but that is all we can do for now," Spartos told his king, along with the other generals standing in the company. After they had arrived back to the docks, they called all of the generals together into the throne room. All except for yamu, who as soon as she had heard about her sheild being damaged, went ahead to go and try to fix it. That left Hakuei in a room alone with the eight generals and their king.

After Spartos had finished explaining the dilemma, the group waited patiently to hear Sinbad's response. It took him a while to respond, running through what he had told him. After a moment of silence he turned his attention to Hakuei. "And what were you doing there princess Hakuei?" she glared at him. He really did want to know everywhere she went didn't him? That could have been why she hadn't been able to attack the soldiers. It was the bracelet stopping her as punishment for leaving without telling him. No one had told her it didn't always shock her, instead restricting her movements. But since it hadn't stopped her from leaving, she guessed Sinbad would make sure that it shocked her next time.

Spartos hurried to defend her. "Forgive me, my king. I forgot to tell you that I was taking her on the ship to teach her to steer." At his words Sinbad's scowl grew.

"You taught her what," the king asked, his voice low enough to be a growl. Spartos just blinked at him innocently, as confused as she was.

"How to steer a boat, your highness," he answered quickly. "Was I not supposed to?" Sinbad didn't answer, his eyes shifting to glare accusingly at Hinahoho. Unlike Spartos, he bowed his head in shame and started fingering with his large fingers. Hakuei didn't understand what the problem was. It wasn't like she was going to use her knew skill to escape the country. She would have nowhere to go. And he could use the bracelet to command her to come back anyway. Goodness, the king was just confusing her more and more each day!

Slowly the King forced out, "No…it's fine." From the way that Masrur and Jafar glanced at each other, she really doubted that. The king leaned back in his chair, trying to dismiss what had just happened. "Have you spoken to Yamu about the damage in the sheild?" Spartos nodded.

"She says she'll look into it. I also asked Drakkon to increase security to see if we have an intruder. But all the generals say that there has been no change in the country. If there was an intruder, they would have done something by now," he reported, sinking into his own thoughts when he was done. All of the other generals had also turned to their own thoughts, wondering what the next step was. It could have been just a fluke, Yamu's magic going haywire. But they all found that very unlikely. They would have to wait for Yamu to finish checking on the quality and stats of the sheild. And they all knew that would take a long time.

So they had to assume there was an intruder. One that was very powerful, most likely a magician. If they were that strong, there was a small list of who they could be. Among them, and even smaller list of who would want to cause damage to Sindria. Judal, but he was with Yunan. Al-thamen, but they would have tried to either destroy their country already or tried getting closer to the king and gain a foothold. As far as they could tell, there was no one new other than Hakuei. So if it was Al-thamen, they must have been planning something. But what? Sinbad was clever enough not to fall for any of their tricks. The generals were always on guard for anyone trying to cause problems. And al-thamen had their hands full with trying to deal with what had happened to their leader. What could they be doing in their country?

"Well, whatever their plan is," Sinbad spoke up, gathering all their attention. "I'm sure that we will be able to stop it. We have tackled with al-thamen before, and yet our country still stands. Through wars, battles, schemes and dungeons, al-thamen has never been able to destroy this country. As the guardians of Sindria I trust all of you that we will be able to stop whatever threats come our way. This new threat does not bother me. It will be dealt with swiftly just like we always have in the past!" the pep talk made all of their spirits lift, even Hakuei's. She had heard that the king of Sindria was a man with a careful tongue and a convincing speaker, but she had never heard one of his talks herself. With only a few short words he was able to vanquish all of the general's worries, even her though they weren't directed at her.

_But a clever tongue does not always mean an honest one, _Hakuei reminded herself.

That though made her guards come up again and her caution rise. As if he could hear it happening, Sinbad turned to catch her eyes. She caught her breath silently, but didn't take her eyes off of his. He had scared her before. She had shown weakness. He had the upper hand, and they both knew it. But she was not going to let him get the better of her again. He watched her cautiously, and she wondered what was going on in that head of his. But just as quickly as he had, he turned back to the group, his smile big on his face.

His smile reminded her of an apple. Sweet by appearance, but in reality it's red skin could be hiding a nest of worms and poison.

Hakuei hated apples.

"Anyway," Jafar spoke up, and since the matter of the broken sheild was dealt with for the time, chose a different topic. "The pirates who invaded Sindria's oceans have agreed make an alliance with us as well as give us information about their training and weaponry…but they are a cautious group. They don't want to work with any of our generals, and have refused to speak to you king." Sinbad frowned and turned to his advisor.

"They have to speak to me if they want to discuss a larger treaty and negotiations." But Jafar shook his head.

"I know, but they are from a country far from here, and don't know much about Sindria. We defiantly want to make a treaty with them though Sinbad. One of them is a dungeon capturer, their weaponry is far advanced, and they were almost about to take down our ships, even with Spartos and Hinahoho there. They are people we certainly do not want to make enemies of."

"But how do we do that if-"

"They will only work with us," Jafar interrupted, "If princess Hakuei is there was well."

All eyes turned to the surprised princess. Even her eyes had gone wide, just as shocked as all of them. Her? She knew K was a cautious fellow, but he had to know some things were impossible. Couldn't he at least try to be a bit more reasonable? All of the generals stared at her, all of them had different expressions. Pisti looked surprised, but gave her a confused shrug to encourage her. Spartos had been expecting it, but was still surprised. Drakkon and Masrur looked almost emotionless, if not for the way their eyes had widened. Sharkkon's mouth had dropped open in shock. But the way Sinbad was glaring at her…well, not actually glaring…he looked like he was accusing her of something. But at the same time…as if he was expecting it. She would never understand him.

"But Jafar," Drakkon spoke up after being silent for most of the discussions. "Princess Hakuei isn't a representative of Sindria. She cannot be there for the discussions."

"That's what I told them," Jafar explained, "but their leader insisted. He said he would not work with anyone other than her." Hakuei knew that this caused a lot of problems. She wasn't a general of Sindria, and having her be a representative was bad form for their country, as well as made her look like a traitor to her's.

Quickly she tried to come up with a solution to the problem. "Let me speak to him before the discussions," she offered. "Maybe I can convince him that I don't need to be there," but she trailed off when Jafar shook his head.

"No, that wouldn't work. This was their one and only condition to come, and we made them come all the way into a foreign country unarmed." She decided it was best not to tell them that they were used to fighting barehanded anyway. "We wouldn't get very far in the discussions if we refused their only condition."

"But she can't be there if she's not a representative," Sharkkon brought up the argument again. Everyone stopped talking so that they could try and think of a solution.

But their king already had one.

"Then we simply make her a temporary one." All eyes turned to him and he greeted them with his charming smile. "If we contact the Kou Empire, we can ask them if it is alright to make her a representative only for her stay here." Hakuei understood the hidden words to that sentence. For as long as her stay? She might have been staying there for the rest of her life anyway. Had that been his plan in bringing her? Making her a representative for Sindria instead of Kou? Take away one of their dungeon capturers and get her on his side? No, wait. He had to know she would go back to her country in a heartbeat if they asked. And she wasn't on his side, he must have known that. But still, there was something in the way that he was smiling then…something that seemed like it was all part of his plan. A plan that she knew she wouldn't like.

"That sounds fine…but what would she do in our country? Represent Kou?" Jafar shook his head at Hinahoho's question.

"No, we are still having troubles with the alliance between Kou. Doubt they would allow her to represent us and them at the same time."

"She could represent…the guests?" everyone glared at Sharkkon. "What? It was just an idea."

"A bad one."

"Um, she could represent the Kouga tribe."

"The Kouga tribe is part of the Kou Empire."

"She could represent bad shoppers," Pisti mumbled.

"Oh my GOSH Pisti, will you let it go already?" Jafar yelled, annoyed.

Everyone debated amongst themselves, trying to decide what she could be the representative of. Some of them were just rather silly, like bad boat driver, or people with blue eyes. No one seemed to be able to decide what she should do. Sinbad sat in the background watching silently. His elbow resting on his armchair and hand covering the side of his face, he watched Hakuei thoughtfully. It didn't look like he was thinking about what they were talking about at all. His gaze was mesmerizing, and she couldn't help but stare back when the other generals weren't looking. She tries to tell herself she did because it made her look more confident than she actually was. But that wasn't the truth. Sinbad didn't look away, even when she turned to look at him. He just continued to stare at her thoughtfully, her staring at him confused. It became like a staring match in between the two of them. After a bit of it Hakuei was certain that he wasn't thinking about the discussion at hand. He raised an eyebrow at her and she just furrowed her brows at him. A small smile reached his lips.

A smile like poison.

"Intercultural relations," Sinbad's voice broke through the arguing. Swiftly all of them turned to their kind who sat in his throne, trying to appear more bored than he really was. Giving them a bored stare he raised an eyebrow at their looks. "If you want to give Princess Hakuei something that she can help with inside the country, than she can do intercultural relations." Everyone all turned to glance at each other. The idea was…sound. Hakuei turned to the king with a frown on her face.

"What makes you so sure that intercultural relations is the job for me?" Sinbad's mouth tightened into a set line. But underneath it she could see the gleam in his eyes and the smile that he tried to hide. She doubted she was the only one. But she might have been the only one who didn't understand it.

"It makes sense doesn't it? aren't you the one who goes to different cultures in your country to make treaties, and because of that you know a lot about the different cultures of the world?" she didn't respond, and he turned so that he was addressing everyone instead of just her. "We can contact Kouen to make sure that it is alright for Hakuei to represent the different cultures in Sindria while she is here."

"That works I guess," Spartos agreed. "She is doing this to help us work with another culture anyway. It only makes sense for that to be her reason for working here." Everyone in the room murmured their agreements. All of them. But a few weren't so sure. Hakuei glared at Sinbad, simultaneously angry and confused at how he seemed to know so much about her work and find the perfect job for her. He knew something that even she hadn't been able to figure out. How? Would she ever find that answer? Masrur, who had remained silent throughout the entire conversation, turned to give Drakkon a secret glance. It was as if they were having their own conversation with one look. She wondered what they would have said, if they had said anything at all.

"So it's settled then," Sharkkon spoke up with a smile. "Princess Hakuei will be the representative of Sindria's intercultural relations!" Pisti jumped up and down, clapping happily. Spartos nudged her encouragingly, while Sharkkon ran over and put his hand on her shoulder, shouting things about welcoming her to Sindria's government and warning her about Jafar been a slave driver when it came to work among other things.

And just like that, she had finished adapting to her life at Sindria.

And grew further away from the country she knew.

**Hey everyone, happy New Year! Thank you all who favourite, followed and reviewed, they help me a lot! This chapters very long again, sorry. it's not the best either, I had to rush to write it. I'll try and make sure they aren't all this long. And K's accent isn't a specific one, I just tried to make it sound different. They aren't grammar errors, it's just that his way of talking is different. Next weeks and the week after might be a little late because of stuff I have going on, but I'll try to get them in on the right day. Anyway, enjoy! **


	7. Master Hates Me

Master hates me

"I think that went well," K told her with a smirk on his face. Hakuei rolled her eyes at him, but had to agree.

"Yes, the treaty discussions were fine. I'm glad we were able to come to an agreement so quickly." Making a treaty with K's crew turned out to be easier than she'd thought. K had been decent, agreeing to his terms easily and being honest and reasonable with his. Even King Sinbad hadn't tried to trick him, just making a simple alliance.

K laughed and ruffled Hakuei's hair. "Ya did a good job kiddo. I never knew ya could be so…grown up." Hakuei huffed at him as they walked through the halls.

"Well I AM older. I'm not going to stay a little kid forever you know." He laughed without a care in the world.

"Ain't someone actin' like a true princess," he bellowed, elbowing her arm. It hurt a bit but she smiled. "Speakin' a which, ain't you supposed to be the princess of a different country?" Still smiling she nodded, refusing to let the smile fade.

"The Kou Empire. I…was sent away. For a while." He could tell by the way her voice lowered that it wasn't good. Before he could ask about it she put on a brave face and grinned. "But it's okay. I can handle anything that's thrown my way." That made K's smile come back to his face.

"Yeah, I know kid," K said, ruffling her hair again. "Yer tough as nails. Were back then, are now."

As the two of them kept walking, his words ran through her head. She had been hadn't she? All those years ago? But considering what was going on back then…she really had to.

_ "__What the heck is a kid doing in a place like this?" the man had stood over a younger Hakuei, her gasping for air. It took her a moment to realize that she was in a bar. A bar? She hadn't meant to go to a bar. She had only meant to get away from him. It had been too long that she was under his care. Too much time spent that she wished never happened… Shaking, she brought her hand to her back, where her newest scar resided. One that went from her right shoulder down to her lower spine, just a little above the middle. She didn't know how long it was. Just that it hurt. It hurt a lot. _

_A few tears managed to slip down her cheeks. "Hey, calm down now kid, ye ain't gonna get nothin' good outa cryin'." The man took her by her hand and brought her over to a booth at the back, away from onlookers. Hakuei wasn't sure if she could trust him. After all, she had been trained not to trust. But she was too exhausted to argue. Besides, even though he seemed like an angry guy, his grip was gentle. Later on Hakuei would find that he had a soft spot for kids, especially lost ones. _

_ "__I'm not crying," she insisted stubbornly. K almost laughed at her pout. _

_ "__Sure ye ain't," he snickered, his voice had an accent that she wasn't familiar with. Reaching out he offered his hand to hers. "The name's K. Yer's?" _

_For a moment she didn't respond. Then cautiously, she took his hand. "H-Hakuei," she mumbled, watching the stranger quizzically. "What kind of a name is K?" the man snorted, slamming his hand down on the table. _

_ "__Mine. Ya got a problem with that kid?" she shook her head. "Good. How where ya runnin' to this time of night? Ya looking for yer parent's er something?" Hakuei shook her head and he pursed his lips. "Huh. Someone watchin' over ya then? A guardian then?" at his words fear shot through her. Yes, she did have a guardian. One that the Kou Empire had entrusted her to. But she couldn't go back to him. _

_ "__Whoa kid, whatcha matter?" she hadn't realized that more tears had fallen. "What's ya problem?" _

_ "__I don't have a problem!" she almost yelled, desperately wiping at her cheeks to hide the tears. "Why don't you mind your own business?" _

_ "__Oi kid, if I say it's my business, it's my business!" the man yelled back with just as much ferocity as she had. It surprised her a bit. "Now what ya got yerself into kiddo? Anythin' I can help wit?" _

_ "__I'm not a kid," she huffed at him. "In fact, I'm ten years old!" politely K whistled, pretending to be impressed. _

_ "__Well ain't that something. Double digits. Good fer you!" Hakuei's chest swelled up with pride at his false awe. "Now how about we get ya home huh? It's pretty late for even a big ten year ol' to be out. Where yer guardian at?" Hakuei stiffened immediately, tears threatening to fall again. "Not again kid! Just tell me what you want and ye can have it." _

_Annoyed she kicked the table underneath her. "Don't call me kid!" but as soon as it had rose, her voice fell. "And I…I need to leave. I need to go back home." _

_ "__What, are you lost?" she didn't answer and he studied her for a moment. "No…ya'll runnin' from someone, ain't cha?" Hakuei didn't look up, and he knew he was right. Glancing around he noticed how she leaned to the left, trying to keep the right shoulder in the air. He wondered if it was injured. A wave of worry washed over him and he felt the immediate desire to help her. "I can take ya home ya know." Her face shot up. _

_ "__Really?" _

_ "__Sure! As long as ye aren't afraid o' any pirates." Hakuei crossed her arms and tried to look tough. _

_ "__I'm not afraid of anything!" K just laughed at her act. _

_ "__If ya say so. Sounds like you afraid of the guy you runnin' from must be pretty frightenin' tho'." At the reminder of her she felt her heart plummet. _

_ "…__yes…" K watched her fear thoughtfully. He never saw a kid at such a young age say something so cautiously, as if the answer could tear her to shreds. Hakuei was only 10, but he could see in her eyes that she had seen things that 10 year olds shouldn't have seen. _

_ "…__this monster got a name?" Hakuei smiled a bit to herself. Finally, someone else was referring to him as monster. It wasn't just her. _

_ "…__Isnan…"_

"Whelp," K said, interrupting her from her thoughts. "Guess I'm gonna go get ready fer da party!" and her face fell.

Great. Party.

/

After the treaty negotiations Sinbad invited K and his soldiers to stay for the evening to relax. Hakuei had tried to stop him, but it was useless. It wasn't that she didn't want them there. No, she loved there company. The problem was K.

And how he LOVED to embarrass her.

"Yup, we found this little kid off at the edge of the kou empire," K told Sharkkon, slinging his arm around Hakuei's shoulders. She smiled sheepishly but got a sinking feeling she always did whenever K started talking with that tone. "Proud one she is. Found 'er when she was only 10 years ol' and she actin' like she the most powerful girlie that ever lived." Pisti giggled and covered her mouth to try and hide it. Hakuei glared at her for it but she ignored her.

"What did Hakuei look like when she was 10," Pisti asked him curiously. K was confused by the question but answered it anyway.

Scratching his head he tried to think back. "er…let me's think….hair shorter than now…some kinda funny robe…about yay tall," he waved his hand around to show her what he meant. As soon as he did Pisti's face fell and a dark gloom set all around her. She had been taller than Pisti ever was. _If she didn't want to know, she shouldn't have asked, _Hakuei thought.

K laughed and reached over to ruffle her hair. "Not to mentin' this feller had the biggest bluest eyes I'd ever seen," he said a little too loudly. Maybe Hakuei had given him too much credit. It sounded like he was drunk to her. "Big bright and blue," he continued. "Freaked me out a bit. Seemed like she was starin' at ya no matter where she lookin'." Hakuei blushed, staring down at the table in front of her. "Oh yeah, and she blushed a lot! Kid would blush over the smallest things, turn as bright n' red as an ol' lantern."

"I did not," she mumbled half-heartedly, but they weren't listening to her. All the generals and pirates absorbed in the stories.

"Sure ya did," K hugged her tighter, the only one listening. "Blushed over the smallest thing'. Remember that one time, when one kid called ya a sweetie pie and ya hid in yer room?" her face turned even redder as the people around them laughed. "Or how about that one time ya tried to cook…er…What was it? Ah that's right, curry! Well, this little kiddo mixed up ALL the ingredients. Switched de salt with sugar, da milk with sauce and even da chicken with lamb. Trust me, lamb ain't no good in any curry. Even the dog ain't eaten it!" they all laughed as Hakuei started drinking her own wine. All in one gulp.

_It wasn't MA fault that none o' the foods were labeled, _she reasoned with herself, accidentally taking on his accent. She had been on his ship for only a few months, but during her stay there she had adapted his accent for a while. Whenever she thought about her time there she always switched back to the accent. It was really embarrassing, especially when she was in the middle of an important discussion and started talking like a pirate. Mentally she kicked herself back into her regular speech patter. _Of not o'. Yes not ya. Ing no in'. _It took more effort than she'd admit. At least it helped her drown out whatever else K was using to embarrass her in front of her new friends.

"Ya, this kiddo was a tough one," he told them, ruffling her hair again. By then she had just pulled it back into a quick bun so he wouldn't be able to mess it up any more. "But we all happy ta have her. Kid loved ta run and learn about all new things. Didn' smile too much, but when she did it was the biggest one ya'll eva seen." Yamu and Pisti gave a little 'aw' sound while Hakuei blushed even more.

"Why didn't she smile very often?" all eyes turned to watch King Sinbad sitting at the head of the table. Only a few chairs away from her, but she could still feel his gaze on her without looking. At least his smile was a little bigger than the other times she'd seen him. She could thank the alcohol for that. It surprised her just how much alcohol he was able to drink while still being in control. If she had been the one to drink all that he had, she would have passed out already. But he was still going, with nothing but a wider smile and a slur in his voice to show for it. The only people she had ever met who could drink that much without getting drunk was Kouen and Judal. People who were able to drink that much must have had a lot of experience with alcohol.

Back to the question, K shrugged to himself. "Dunno. She never tol' me. She first came ta me with big tears in her eyes." oh no.

"I-I wasn't crying," she told him, hurrying to defend herself. "I was just a lil' sleepy. It was late that day, ya know?" Drakkon blinked at her for a moment.

"You can speak in their accent?" oops. She nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah, I picked it up after a bit." Drakkon looked thoughtful while Pisti looked ecstatic.

"Ooh, you have an accent! Talk in it, it sounds really cool!" While Hakuei blushed embarrassed K beside her grinned like it was a matter of pride.

She shook her head though. "I, ah, don't know if I could. It was a long time ago, I haven't used that accent in years." The others looked deterred but K slapped her on the back. Hard.

"Awe come on kiddo. Ya'll can get the hang o' it. It wasn't that long ago that you were just the little kid trippin' all over her words and pretendin' she could use a sword." Yes, because THAT was supposed to encourage her. She had thought she was a great swordfighter for ten.

Sinbad spoke up again, interrupting both of their conversations. "How long was she on your ship," he asked K, which bugged her a bit. She was sitting right there, she could have answered the questions for herself. It was a business tactic to focus all attention on the one you were making a treaty with, but they already made the treaty! She suspected that he was doing it on purpose.

K didn't seem to mind, taking a moment to think about it. "Oh, a few months I think. She only a little ten year ol' at da time." _Only ten, _she wondered to herself. Had it really been that long ago? She felt like it was much more recent and yet, it had been more than 10 years than when she had been on that ship all those years ago. As a young girl, running away from those who wanted to hurt her. She wondered if she had ever told Hakuryuu about her travels. Thinking about it, she didn't think she really told anyone. When she got back she had been too exhausted to talk about it, and no one asked. That meant that the first ones to learn about her adventures…were the Sindrian generals. They were learning things about her that not even her family knew. That realization made a frown come up. Was that alright? Did she really want them to know such things? Was she comfortable with it?

After thinking about it for another moment, she was surprised to find that she was. Yamu had been right that day when they had been shopping. It really felt like she knew them for longer than she did. She didn't know why. There hadn't been any life changing experiences she had with them. So far, she had only lived with them. There were many people in the palace she had lived with her entire lives and she'd never spoken to them. Somehow, she was such good friends with the generals of the palace after over a month? It was strange. The whole country was strange to her. But as strange as she found it, she still found it very comfortable.

Her thoughts were interrupted again. "Why was she on your ship?" this time K had the sense to keep his mouth shut. He shot a glance at Hakuei and she shook her head, just enough so that only he could see it. At least she had hoped only he had seen it. From his seat Sinbad spotted the action and called her out on it. "Is it a secret?" she shot a hidden glare at him, but he just smirked at it. One of the first times he smiled at her and it was to annoy her. Let her take back the earlier though. She was getting comfortable in the country with the generals. Not the king. The other generals all looked at each other nervously, unsure if they should continue. Hakuei gave them their answer.

"Yes, King Sinbad. It IS a secret. Can we not talk about it? Or is that not allowed, your highness?"

At her voice the room seemed to have suddenly gotten a lot quieter. All eyes turned to her and Sinbad, Both of which were openly glaring at each other, a challenge in both of their eyes. In the back of her mind a little part of her was screaming to the other part, _what on earth are you doing? That's the king of Sindria! You know, the guy who could have you executed if he wanted to? You're lucky he hasn't already ordered you to be sent back because of you taking his book. Do you want to die? Hold your tongue, there are some battles that you just can't win! _

The other half of the brain argued back _so what? I'm strong enough to defend myself if I need to. Besides, some kings need to be brought down to size once in a while. I've never tried to hide or back down to authority figures before, why should I now?_

_You always got in trouble for arguing with them! And good luck trying to fight back when he's got that stupid bracelet CONTROLLING YOUR EVERY MOVE. Yeah, great plan, good luck with that. _

_Oh shut up, this guy's been mean to me since I got here!_

_So you deal with it and move on!_

_I AM dealing with it._

_THIS ISN'T DEALING WITH IT, THIS IS MAKING THE PROBLEM WORSE!_

Talk about angels and devils on your shoulder.

After a moment of silence Sinbad spoke again, slowly. "Of course people are allowed to have secrets. But sometimes other people just figure them out. I'm sure you figured that out in the library a few weeks ago, didn't you Hakuei?" her eyes widened and she caught her breath.

_Gasp, _the little angel in her head said.

_Oh no he didn't, _the devil growled. _Shots fired! _

Around her the other generals and pirates had all suddenly became quiet, watching the argument going on in front of them like it was a dinner theatre. Yamu whispered to Jafar, 'what are they talking about, in the library?' Jafar didn't respond, watching Sinbad cautiously. _What is that idiot trying to do, _he thought. Sinbad ignored him, focusing on nothing but the princess in front of him. Unconsciously her hands had rolled into fists and her eyebrows furrowed. Her head was tilted just a bit, trying to look like she wasn't affected by anything he did. Sinbad pulled off the look better than her. Sitting up straight with an angry face that looked both threatening and relaxed at the same time. After years of practicing she doubted that she would have been able to pull that off.

"Perhaps," she started slowly. "But that doesn't mean that everyone's secrets need to be discovered."

"Not everyone's," Sinbad corrected. "Just ones." she ground at her teeth trying to hold back exactly what she wanted to tell him.

"Well you certainly seem to know so much about me," she accused him, referring back to the first night they'd met. Even though she didn't say it, he understood. Everyone else assumed it was when he knew she was good for the job of working in intercultural relations. "I'd say we are even."

"Not even close," Sinbad argued back.

"What, we aren't even until you say we are?"

"You said it, not me."

"Sin," Drakkon tried to interrupt. "I think that is enough for one day."

"He's right," Yamu added, though it was clear from her voice she didn't really understand what was going on. "How about we all just take a break and calm down,"

"I didn't even mean to find that stupid book," Hakuei shot back at him, ignoring what the others were saying. "It was an accident!"

"An accident? You accidently, carefully, expertly searched through my entire library to find the one book that you weren't supposed to find?"

"I didn't know it was a secret! I was just curious what was in the room!"

"You should know better than to go through other people's stuff!"

"Well YOU shouldn't have invited a complete stranger into your kingdom then!" that one made Sinbad stop in his tracks. His face changed so he didn't look angry at her anymore. Instead he looked horrified, shocked that she would have said such a thing. She didn't get it. That wasn't meant to hurt him THAT much. She wasn't even sure which part of it hurt him. Calling him out on doing something stupid? She doubted it. Finally taking her eyes off of him she glanced to some of the others for help. They were all just looking at each other trying to figure out what to do next. Except for Masrur. He had been sitting quietly, but now he looked just as shocked and hurt as Sinbad did. Him to? How, she hadn't even said anything to him. Turning back to Sinbad, she saw he had turned his face down a bit, unable to look in her eyes. Even though she didn't understand how, she thought she had gone too far.

Before she could say anything though, Sinbad looked up again. The fire was back, this time fueled by some kind of pain. "You know what," he growled. "Your right. Maybe I shouldn't have brought you here."

Jafar looked shocked. "S-sin, wait!" Sinbad ignored him.

"Maybe you should just go back to Kou." Hakuei glared, her eyes blazing. She was angry. Angrier than she had been in weeks. Maybe years. And she had no clue why. What was wrong with him, affecting her like this? Why did his opinion make her so angry, why did his every word infuriate her? It was like he was always playing a game that she could never win. But she wanted to try.

"That sounds fine to me!"

"Fine!" he yelled. "I command you to leave Sindria!" at his words, she felt the bracelet spark. Before she could even stop herself, she stood out of her chair, almost knocking K over. The bracelet didn't need to force her to move. She was going already.

"Fine!" Spinning on her heels she pushed past her chair and walked out towards the door. Silence followed her as she walked to the exit, pushing the doors open with both hands. No one came to stop her. Not a word was spoken as she walked out the doors, swinging shut behind her.

/

"Stupid king," she muttered. "Stupid, stupid King. Big jerk, thinking he knows everything about me. Blaming me for such a little thing, I didn't even know what it was!" she reasoned with herself, stomping towards the docks. There was no one there that late at night. A few in the distance, but not at the docks..

She hadn't gone back to get her things. She doubted that she could even if she wanted to. The bracelet wouldn't let her. But she didn't think about it, stomping up to the nearest boat. All she could think about were Sinbad's words droning through her head, again and again. It almost felt like a dream, something that dramatic. But it had happened within the hour. So soon after she was leaving to who knew were. Normally Hakuei would have taken time to try and plan it out. But she didn't bother.

"'You said it not me,' he says. 'Maybe you should just leave,' he says. Yeah, well I have NO problem there, see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya," she mumbled to herself as she approached to boat. "Thanks for taking me away from my family only to send me back. REALLY appreciate it!" she grumbled to herself as she went to step on the boat.

As she tried though, she felt a painful shock go through her head. "Ow!" she yelped, jumping out of the boat. Glancing down she saw her bracelet glowing a bright red, shocking her. With horror she remembered some of the orders Sinbad had given her on her first day. _"__Third, I command you not to leave this island unless you have one of the 8 generals with you."_

"Great," she yelled to herself, kicking at the boat. "What now?" her only answer was silence. Absolutely infuriated, she spun around and trudged back to the palace. With any luck she would be able to find one of the eight generals and convince them to leave with her before she had to face Sinbad again. She could NOT face him.

But as she tried to leave, the bracelet shocked her again. "What's wrong?" she yelled at the bracelet. "I'm TRYING to follow the orders I was given. But I have to go back to do it!" the bracelet didn't respond, not that she had expected it to. Annoyed she turned to go back to the boat again. And yet again, the bracelet shocked her. Hitting it she turned back to the palace, but it shocked her again.

Than a sinking feeling grew in her. What if the bracelet wouldn't let her do anything, but by not doing anything, she wasn't doing what she was supposed to? A conundrum that she would not get out unscathed. If she couldn't go either way, than what was she going to do? Hesitantly she took a step to the right. It shocked her again, worse than before. To the left, it shocked her so bad she fell to her knees. She could actually SEE the lightning sparks bouncing around her. Than another thought occurred to her.

_Can this bracelet kill me? _Yamu had said before it would hurt her, but she never mentioned if it could kill or not. Starting to panic she slammed at the bracelet, trying to get it off. The bracelet only shocked her harder, and she fell to the ground with a yelp.

Then the pain got worse.

A scream choked in her throat as the shock's burst through her skin. It was so painful, worse than before. It felt like she was going through the dungeons all over again, except this time facing everything at once. Her mouth was zipped closed, hurting too much to open. The bracelet stung her like a million arrows hitting her at once. She'd been through that before. It had been better than time. Her whole body trembling, the pain just got worse and worse until it became absolutely unbearable. Anything, any kind of torture would have been better! She'd rather have faced all the dungeons alone, rather go as a one man army against the world, she'd rather-

She'd rather go back to training with Isnan. And that had nearly killed her.

Just when she was about to give up, she heard the sound of feet pounding along the deck. "Hakuei!" Someone called to her. She couldn't recognize the voice. It was too far away, but whoever it was was gaining speed. Even though she doubted the person could do anything, she mentally thanked them. At least she wouldn't die alone. But it sounded like the person didn't have that plan in mind.

"Bracelet, recall last command!" than, just like that, the pain stopped. It was gone as soon as it had come, as if it was never there. _Oh, so you respond to HIM but not me, _she yelled at it mentally. The bracelet didn't react, which was worse than a child smiling innocently up at her. Her anger was short lived, as she felt the release of sleep slowly begin to engulph her. Before she did though, whoever saved her came running down the docks and sliding to her side.

You know, the 'whoever' is pointless. We all know who it was.

"Hakuei, look at me!" Sinbad shouted, pulling her into him. "Come on Hakuei, just look at me. Say something!" he wrapped his arms around her so that she was leaning against his chest. If she was able to move she would have protested, but couldn't so she stayed put. Sinbad frantically searched her face, using one hand to hold her chin in place. "Hakuei, please, say something!" that man was so confusing! He looked so concerned, panicked at the thought of her hurt. Why did he care so much? He must have known the bracelet had stopped. He had caused it anyway.

Before she blacked out, she mumbled at him. "You're really confusing."

Then she was gone.

/

"I am so, so, SO sorry."

Hakuei shook her head at Yamu as she stood in place. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is! I forgot to set your bracelet to stun, and that's why it almost killed you," she told her as she helped her through the hallway. Hakuei shook her head, trying to pull away so she could walk on her own. Sinbad had brought her to Yamu to get the bracelet fixed, and once she had, she helped her get back to her room.

"Really, don't worry. It's over now, and I'm not mad at you." She was too busy being annoyed and confused with Sinbad to do that. After a little longer she gently pulled her arm off her shoulder. "I can walk from here." Yamu frowned, Skeptical.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's not that far from here." Yamu still didn't look convinced, but didn't want to push it.

"Alright…I'll come and check on you in the morning, okay?" Hakuei smiled and waved to her as she ran away, leaving Hakuei by her lonesome. Considering the time, she had expected Yamu to have left earlier. It wasn't like her legs were broken. With a yawn, Hakuei turned and headed down the hallway.

It wasn't long before she turned a corner and came face to face with King Sinbad. The two of them barely avoided running into each other, and Hakuei stumbled to get away from him. "Excuse me Sinbad," she fumbled out. "I didn't see you there." for a moment Sinbad said nothing, just looking down at her quietly. Then just gave her a small smile. Wow, maybe she was dreaming.

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you're feeling better." She nodded, to puzzled by his mood to do anything else. But it didn't last. His smile fell quickly, and he hurried to walk away. Hakuei was tempted to let him do so, but knew she couldn't leave it at that.

"I, ah," she started, unsure how to continued. Sinbad stopped and turned to listen. Nervously she played with her hands at her sides. "I…thank you for helping me. With the bracelet that is." _Even if it was your fault that it happened, _part of her wanted to say. She kicked that part. Sinbad remained silent for a moment, deciding what to say. He wanted to say what he really meant, how he really felt seeing her lying there in pain. But he couldn't. For his own sake.

So instead he said the worst thing he could think of. "Don't bother. I just didn't want a princess dying on our docks is all." Hakuei's smile deflated, replaced by the regular scowl she had grown accustomed to wearing while she was there.

"Oh. In that case I guess I'll just be on my way." As she tried to walk past him she noticed his fists were tightened at his side. He was restraining himself, she realized. From what though, she didn't know. And at that point she really didn't care. As she walked past, she fully intended on letting it go. Just walking past and moving on with her life. But no, it was Hakuei. She couldn't do that.

Spinning around she stormed up to him until she was right in front of his face. "You know what you…you stupid king," he hissed at him, pointing accusingly. "I don't have a clue what I did to you. I don't know why you brought me here when all you do is wish I wasn't."

Sinbad raised an eyebrow at her, but otherwise remained calm. "You don't seem to like it here too much either." she glared at him. "What, am I wrong?"

"Yes-No-it's hard to enjoy being here when the King of the country gets mad at me for everything I do. Find some book I didn't even read, learn how to steer a boat, and wanting to have a few secrets because you seem to know everything else!"

"You forgot yelling at me."

"Oh you had it coming."

"Nice to know that you are the judge of these things." Hakuei huffed and stomped her foot in anger.

"You are so full of yourself!"

"Gee, I'm so sorry that everything isn't working out just the way that you wanted it to, Princess," he bit back at her. She recoiled a bit at the way he said princess but came back just as angry.

"Excuse me for not falling and worshiping you, KING Sinbad. All I wanted was for us to get along, but every time I see you all you do is give me rules, get mad at me or insult something that I'm doing! And you haven't even given me a reason for all of this! Other than that book, but you disliked me long before that. How is that fair?" Sinbad didn't respond, so she decided to use it as an opportunity to continue. "Just give me some answers! What did I do? How did you know about that scar of mine? Why was that book so important? Just tell me that, I promise I won't tell anyone. Don't I have the right to know?" Again, Sinbad said nothing, making Hakuei wait impatiently for his answer.

"Not everything's fair princess." She was going to get sick of him calling her that.

"I know that, but,"

"So stop expecting it to be," Sinbad interrupted her. "You want to know what I'm thinking? What's going on in my head? You're going to have to figure it out on your own, because you're not going to hear it from me. Come to me the day that the questions are burning you inside, that your curiosity becomes too much to bare, that you can do nothing but worry and think about it so much so that you can't fall asleep thinking about it." He yelled at her, his voice holding a hidden meaning with every word. It sounded like it wasn't what she was feeling, but more what he him. After yelled he had to stop for a moment to take a breather. His next words were much calmer, but just as angry. "When you get there, then you might just become one small step closer to understanding me. Than you can keep wondering."

With that Sinbad turned and walked past her, not looking back. Hakuei stood there, unable to move. She was too shocked to move. Then slowly, the anger began to rise. Her hands clenched, and she gnawed at her teeth. _Don't do it, _she told herself. _Don't…you're a guest, it won't end well for you. _But she couldn't help it. Hakuei really had no control over her mouth sometimes.

Her anger written on her face, she turned to Sinbad's fleeting back and yelled at him, "FINE BY ME IF YOU HATE ME SO MUCH! I DON'T WANT TO UNDERSTAND SUCH A POWERHUNGRY, DEVIOUS KING ANYWAY!" Sinbad halted his steps. Hakuei had to take a minute to catch her breath and as she did what she said really hit her. _Oh my goodness, _she panicked. _I just yelled at a king. A KING! Gosh Hakuei, why can't you just keep your anger problems to yourself? _For a moment, he didn't respond. Then he turned to her.

And he didn't look happy. _Great. Now you're dead. _

For a moment, he just glared at her. Silently she waited for the death penalty, or some kind of punishment. It probably would have been better if she stopped making eye contact and at least try to look ashamed, but she couldn't. Either she was really brave, or just an idiot. Sinbad turned on his heels and walked over to her. She held her breath and stood up straighter, waiting to die. He kept walking till he was right in front of her, and she had to tilt her head so she could look in his eyes. Up close, he was definitely angry. But there was something else in his eyes to. He looked almost…she didn't know.

"I command you to stay still." The bracelet gave her a small shock and the next thing she knew she couldn't move at all. Her arms were stuck at her sides, her legs frozen in the same position they were in, and her face was tilted upward to stay there forever. She wondered why on earth he would do that. What good would telling her not to move do? Maybe he was going to make her stay there for the rest of the night. Oh man, but she was tired! Pulling her out of her thoughts Sinbad put one hand on her cheek. The only thought she was able to manage was, what the heck. She wasn't able to manage any other thoughts before he moved.

And he kissed her.

Her next thought was very similar to the other. WHAT THE HECK! Desperately she tried to pull away from him, but her bracelet wouldn't let her move. Sinbad's eyes were closed, so he couldn't see her's getting as wide as saucers. All legitimate thoughts went out the window, and she was stuck on the fact that he was kissing her! Around her it seemed like the world had stopped, it being just as shocked as she was. Her body felt numb, and not from the bracelet. It felt like he was crushing her mouth, forcing hers open and pulling in closer. She thought that he was a good kisser…but she didn't know for certain.

He pulled away just as quickly as he had come close. As soon as he did Hakuei regained feeling in her body and gasped for breath. As quick as she could she pulled away from him, covering her mouth with her hand as if it would make the memory go away. How could he do that? Once the initial shock wore off her anger started to boil up again. "W…what the heck was that? What gives you the right to just," but she wasn't able to manage to say anything, trying to keep her mouth covered and shuddering at the memory. Sinbad didn't react, just watched her silently. How he could have done that and look so emotionless she didn't know. It just made her even angrier.

Then he sighed. "I don't hate you," he told her, as if that was the most important thing. And the way that he said it…it was almost as if he wished that it wasn't the truth. That he really could hate her, if he had the choice. Reaching out, he tried to put his hand on her cheek, but she drew back. The king gulped at her action, and let his hand fall to the side. It looked like he wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. Instead he just turned and walked away, leaving Hakuei to simmer in her thoughts. Many questions ran through her head. Many, unanswered questions. But only one thought was prominent.

THAT JERK JUST STOLE MY FIRST KISS!


	8. Birthday Without a Bracelet

Birthday without a bracelet

**Hey everyone, sorry this is late! The next one will come early. Thank you all for the reviews, they are awesome! And thanks ****_xLieseAltairx_****for the idea of Sinbad and Hakuei fighting each other. I wanted to make this chapter longer and couldn't decide how. ****Oh, and yes my grammar is really bad. I'm sorry! I'll try and fix it more!**

"What? For how long?" Yamu shrugged as she fiddled with the bracelet on her arm.

"It'll only be for today. I think. I should be able to get it fixed before tomorrow. Sin probably wouldn't want it off of you for much longer than that anyway." Hakuei rolled her eyes at that. Of course he wouldn't.

The next morning it hadn't taken Yamu long to discover that the bracelet was damaged. The incident from the night before had shorted it out when the two orders confused it. So Yamu had to take the bracelet off so she could fix it. With a click Yamu slipped it off and Hakuei rubbed her wrist. It was lighter where the bracelet had been. Hakuei was starting to get a tan from being in Sindria to long. She made a mental note to ask others how they were able to keep their complexion the same. "I'll bring it right back to you as soon as I get it finished. For now, you get freedom!"

"Freedom?" Hakuei questioned.

"Yeah, from whatever rules Sinbad gave you. As long as the bracelet is off, you are free to do whatever you want! Any rules you want to break princess," Yamu teased as she rummaged around looking for tools.

Hakuei WANTED to make Sinbad suffer, but didn't think that she could get away with that. She shook her head. "Oh well. At least you can use your djinn again!" Hakuei perked up at that. She had forgotten the bracelet had been the reason she hadn't used it for so long. "I mean, you'd have to get Sinbad to come and spar with you. He's the only dungeon capturer here." Just like that her happy mood was gone.

"Anyway, thank you Yamu," Hakuei replied as she stood up from her stool. "I think I'll go to the library." But as she was passing her desk, her eyes caught on the small sphere that was on the desk. Yamu had earlier explained to her that it was the eye of the rukh, a device that made it possible for her to contact people from other countries.

"Hey, Yamu?"

"Mhm?"

"Does this device make it possible to contact people from Balbaad?" Yamu paused to think about it.

"I don't think the government has it…but Aladdin has one. If you want to talk to someone you can reach them through that."

"Do you mind if I borrow it than," Hakuei asked politely. Yamu nodded and passed the sphere to her.

"No problem. Are you gonna say hi to Hakuryuu?" Hakuei gave a small smile at the thought of seeing her brother again. It felt like forever since she had seen him.

"Yes. I always try to contact my brother on my birthday."

…

"Brother!" In the small orb the mist cleared away to reveal her younger brother Hakuryuu smiling at her. He looked a little different, more grown up than before. His cloths were different than his Kou ones, wearing long white robes that resembled the cloths of Balbaad. The best thing, his smile was back. The smile that he had worn before he had fallen. He looked so normal that Hakuei could almost forget all that had happened. Almost. "Hakuryuu, it is so good to see you!"

"You to sister! I must admit, you look different." Hakuei glanced down, now conscious of the Sindria clothing that she was wearing. It really was different than her old cloths. Her brother seemed fine with it. After being in Balbaad, he probably expected her clothing to change too. "The robes from Balbaad are so light. I'm starting to think that the Kou Empire has the coldest climate in the world. Every other nation wears such thin clothing." Hakuei giggled a bit when Hakuryuu tried to walk around in the robe that was both long yet thin, accidentally stepping on it a few times. Hakuryuu's face got bigger as he leaned in closer to the sphere to see her. "Did you cut your hair?"

Hakuei nodded, feeling her hair tied behind her. Her bangs weren't pulled up anymore and instead swept to the side, and her hair went to the middle of her back instead of below her waist. "Yes, I cut it a few days ago. Pisti thought it would look nice, and it takes less time to take care of. But how are things going in Balbaad? Are you alright with your…situation?" Hakuryuu nodded quickly, and she was glad there was no hesitation.

"Yes, I am fine here. It was strange at first with Olba and his siblings, but we were able to work things out. Sir Alibaba teased me with the bracelet a bit the first day by making me cook food…and cake…lots of cake…sister, did you know someone could gain weight visibly within three days?" Hakuei had to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing while her brother chuckled. "Sir Aladdin and Lady Morgianna stopped him from teasing me. I can't use my djinn, but he said that if we get the chance he would bring me to the laem coliseum to train. He says it might help as a rehabilitator after all that has happened." Hakuei nodded as that thought ran through her head. It sounded like a good idea. After his last training was with Judal trying to train to destroy his family, perhaps it was good for him to try and train just for the sake of training.

Speaking of Judal. "Have you heard from our oracle at all?" Hakuryuu nodded.

"Yes, he came to visit once. Since Yunan likes to travel a lot Judal comes with him. He seems alright. It doesn't look like he has changed too much. I think he hasn't caused any trouble yet. He seems to respect Yunan because he's a fellow magi." It was that easy to get their magi under control? The Kou Empire should have gotten Yunan to help a long time ago. "I think Kougyoku tries to see him often, but since he travels it's not easy. Oh, she and the others from Kou say hi!" Hakuei perked up.

"You've seen everyone? How are they?" unfortunately Hakuryuu shook his head.

"No, sorry. I received letters from them a few days ago. They must have sent you something to, but since you're so far away it might not have reached you yet. By the way, don't expect too much from Koumei's letter. In mine he fell asleep halfway through writing." Hakuei laughed at the image of her cousin falling asleep on the letter. Now she had another thing to look forward to. Her cousin's letters.

"Which probably means gifts to," Hakuryuu said bringing her out of her thoughts. "Happy birthday sister! Ha, I bet you thought I'd forgotten!" Hakuei grinned but didn't deny it. Her brother often forgot birthdays and other important dates. Perhaps Aladdin had reminded him. "Are you doing anything special?"

"No, not many people here know it's my birthday. But Yamu had to take my bracelet off to get it repaired. All it really does though is let me use my djinn or run away if I wanted to." Hakuryuu deflated sadly.

"I see. Why don't you do something with your friends? I mean, you made friends right?" Hakuei's cheeks puffed indignantly. What made him say it so cautiously? Of course she had made friends!

"YES, I have friends. Usually I'm hanging out with Pisti and Spartos, but I'm friends with all of the generals." Hakuryuu nodded, looking more relieved that Hakuei liked. Why did her brother always seem so shocked to find out she was getting along with people? It wasn't like she was a nasty person, she was polite to people she met. Once her sister Kougyoku had told her when she first saw her she didn't like her because she seemed so stiff and grumpy. Humph.

"It's a good thing you have made many friends. What about the king though? Sinbad's a good friend of mine, I thought you two would have…um…" as soon as he mentioned Sinbad he could FEEL the anger coming from the sphere. Hakuei's face had gotten dark and even though she was miles away, he edged the sphere away from him. "I take it you aren't?"

"King Sinbad and I…don't see eye to eye."

"What did you do?"

"What?" Hakuei stared incredulously, and he became increasingly grateful she was so far away. "What makes you think I did something?"

"You usually do. You've always had a problem with challenging people in power." Even as she tried to deny it, part of her knew that he was right. Thinking back she remembered when she was younger her brothers and Kouen had taken her over to a neighboring country. The soldier that they had put in charge of her was very rude, and they came back finding them having a screaming match in the middle of the king's throne room.

"Maybe my track records not the best," Hakuei mumbled. "But I've never done anything other than arguing!" she could see her brother raise his eyebrow as if to say 'are-you-kidding-me?'

"Oh yeah? Camcerlion." Hakuei almost choked on nothing. That was a country far in the south that she had visited once with Hakuryuu. Hakuei had found out just what the king had been doing in his spare time. "Most people would hope you had enough sense not to LOCK a king in his own castle."

"…it wasn't that long…"

"IT WAS THREE DAYS."

"Oh give me a break! He wasn't listening to reason! You know I hate it when people can't just sit down and talk things out like civilized people. Besides I was 13!" she still couldn't believe that she had been able to steal the keys to the dungeon and keep him hidden for that long. "And even so, this time it wasn't my fault. King Sinbad and I just…very different." Hakuryuu shrugged a bit.

"I knew you two were different, but I didn't think that you wouldn't like him. You're different on the surface, but you two seem to act very alike, and have a lot of the same values." She almost broke the sphere in her hand. She was like HIM? That deceitful, greedy, egotistical, insufferable king! "What is it about him that you don't like?"

"He keeps many secrets!" Hakuryuu drew back a bit.

"Um…he's a king. That's a requirement."

"Yes, but these secrets are different!"

"How?" she tried to argue but couldn't think of a way to tell him. "Sister, just because he keeps a lot of secrets doesn't mean he's a bad person. Kouen keeps many secrets, but you get along with him." oh she hated it when her little brother was right. "Have you tried to get along with him?" she had tried being polite, but didn't exactly try getting along with him. "How about you try talking to him socially? At least give it a shot." He didn't understand. She HAD tried. She had tried being polite, or just staying out of his way, but it didn't work. Yes, she didn't try as hard as she could have but he wouldn't have given her a shot even if she had!

"Hakuryuu, you don't get it. He-" but she was interrupted by the sound of someone screaming. It slowly and slowly started getting louder. Frowning she turned around in her chair to see off in the distance a small shape running in her direction.

"HHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKUUUUUUUU-"

"Uh, Hakuryuu? I think I need to go. I'll contact you as soon as I can, alright?" he nodded and the two of them said their goodbyes. As soon as the device was off she was tackled to the ground by a smaller girl screaming in her ear.

"-EEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIII! I can't believe that you didn't tell me it was your birthday!" Hakuei nearly chocked in surprise. Struggling she pulled the younger woman off of her. "I can't believe it! The day's almost over! And you got your bracelet off! Why aren't you partying?" Sindria certainly loved having parties.

"I-I don't want to party. How did you know?" She hadn't thought Yamu would go telling everyone.

"Hinahoho told me," she replied cheerfully while Hakuei frowned. Hinahoho? She hadn't told him. "Come on, we should do something!"

"There's not anything I want to do Pisti. I already called my brother, I'm not sure what else to do."

"Aw, come on," Pisti encouraged her. "There's got to be something to do. Your bracelets off, why not do something you couldn't before?" Hakuei shook her head.

"I'd only want to use my djinn, but there is no one to fight." Pisti frowned, but didn't give up.

"We can see if Drakkon is willing to give it a shot. He's the strongest household member of all of us!" Hakuei wondered if she really was trying to help, or just trying to see her djinn equip. "At least come and talk with us! No one should be alone on their birthday." She wanted to object that she had been alone on her birthday many times. Birthdays weren't a very big thing in Kou. Before she could Pisti had grabbed her free arm and pulled her along to find the rest of the group.

They found them in a clearing at the edge of the palace grounds. Hakuei was grateful to see Sinbad wasn't there. The events from the night before still rang in her head. "Hey Drakkon!" Pisti called to him, and he looked up. "Do you want to spar with Hakuei?" he blinked and the others turned to see them.

"Pardon?"

"Hakuei wants to spar on her birthday, and this is the only day she'll be able to use her djinn equip in a while!" she knew it was the djinn equip that got her excited. "You're the best qualified! Other than the king, but don't know where he is." Thank goodness. Drakkon looked hesitant.

"I'm not against the idea…But are you sure you wouldn't like to wait to see if we could find Sinbad? He would make a better opponent." Hakuei shivered at the thought of seeing him. She was lucky enough not to run into him already, she didn't want to push her luck.

Sharkkon intervened. "Hey, if you don't want to give it a shot Drakkon, I'll try." He swung out his sword, the household vessel beginning to glow. "I'd always wanted to test my luck against a dungeon capturer." Yamu rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, let's all watch you get up."

"Hey!" Pisti intervened quickly.

"No fighting in front of the birthday girl! Sharkkon that would be awesome! Okay Hakuei, show us your djinn equip." Hakuei turned and stared at her friend.

"NOW? Are you sure?"

"I do believe that we should wait for Sin," Drakkon insisted, but Pisti looked impatient.

"Yeah, go ahead!" nervously Hakuei looked to Yamu for support.

She smiled to encourage her. "Don't worry, the bracelet won't hurt you. Now hurry up and kick this swordsman's butt!" Sharkkon looked like he wanted to fight Yamu the most. Hakuei glanced down at her fan on her belt nervously. She hadn't used paimon in a while, she worried paimon wouldn't work for her as revenge. It was like her djinn to do that. It had happened before.

"Um…I don't know…" her stalling did exactly what she didn't want it to do.

Gave Sinbad the time to come over.

"A djinn equip," Sinbad spoke, and they all turned to see him. "Sounds interesting." Hakuei tried to look impassive at his presence, but it didn't work. The minute she saw him her mind veered to the night before. A blush threatened to come up to her cheeks and she hurried to shake it off. Luckily none of the generals noticed.

"Yeah, she's going to use paimon," Pisti told him. Sinbad pondered the idea, with an evil smile on his face. She thought 'evil' because well, she thought he was.

"Paimon's a wind djinn…I wonder what it would be like to fight against Focalor." Oh no. Pisti sounded completely on board with the idea.

"YES! I wanted to see the two wind djinns together! That would be awesome, right Hakuei?"

"…Um…"

Hakuei wasn't so sure it was a good idea. Fighting in front of the generals was one thing, but fighting with Sinbad was another. Take away personal feelings, he was a king from another country. It didn't seem like a good idea to spar with him using her djinn. She would be showing him all her fighting techniques and giving away all her secrets. If it had been Sharkkon she might have been fine, but against Sinbad she would have to go all out. And even then, she knew she wouldn't win. Even if fighting him revealed some of his secrets, he had 8 djinn's which meant he had a lot more tricks up his sleeves than her. No matter how the battle turned out, it wouldn't end well for her.

She tried to come up with an excuse. "Don't you think this isn't the place to fight? We might hit civilians." Sinbad shook his head. His smile got bigger.

"We can just fly higher if we have to. That won't be a problem will it?" Oh great. Did he know about her fear of heights? It wasn't that bad if she was the one flying, but up to high…no.

With one last effort she tried flattery. "I don't think there would be any point. It's obvious that you would be the one to win." Sinbad raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps," he murmured. "But we'll never know until we try." Darn it!

"Then it's settled!" Pisti interrupted with a big grin. Hakuei looked back to object, and was surprised to see all the generals had already moved away from them. How had they done that so fast? Pisti waved. "You can start whenever you are ready." Traitors.

"Then let's start shall we?" Sinbad pulled his arm up to reveal a metal bracelet. "Dwell in my body, Focalor!" Hakuei gulped.

Hurrying, she grabbed her fan. "D-dwell in my body, Paimon!" they both started glowing as their djinn equips took form. Hakuei always held her breathe when she put her equip on. She felt like she would swallow some magic or bug if she didn't. When the light disappeared she took a moment to examine Sinbad's equip.

It wasn't like hers. His made his hair and cloths red. There were red feathers all around him and black tattoos on his stomach with red ones on his chest. As she examined his he took the opportunity to examine hers. She didn't know what he was thinking when he looked her over. But when he was done he looked a little impressed.

"Huh. It does look different." As soon as he said it he clamped his mouth shut. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Before she could comment, he jumped in the air and flew into the sky. Hakuei hurried to catch up to him.

In the air, everything looked small. That was Hakuei's favourite thing about flying. It made all her worries and problems look so tiny compared to the large world that she was in. It made her feel like she was above her problems, like they were just one tiny step in her long life that she could move past. She was carefree, in complete control, until the inevitable moment when she saw how high she really was. Paimon's dungeon had given her a fear of heights, and though she was still able to fly, she couldn't bring herself to fly to high. But flying was the greatest feeling in her life. But that time, she didn't feel that way.

Considering that one of her problems was able to fly to.

"Ladies first," Sinbad called with a cocky smirk. She looked up and cursed in her head. He had flown much higher than her, and had a look that was daring her to fly higher. He HAD to know about her fear of flying to high. _Two can play this game, _she thought to herself.

Mimicking his smirk she replied, "I don't believe in gender expectations during battle. If everyone went easy on me because I was a women, many more people would be dead." That didn't make his smirk go away. In fact it just made it bigger, like he had been expecting her to say that.

"Very well. Then I'll go first." It only took a second for him to collect himself.

Then he was right in front of her.

_He's fast, _Hakuei thought as she hurried to defend the blow. Sinbad's sword was much sharper than the staff her fan transformed into. If he had been fighting with all his strength, she figured that it would have broken. But the blow was just a warning blow, and he swung back to attack again. Even though she saw it coming she only narrowly flew down quick enough for it to miss her. _Darn it, _she cursed. _Paimon's best at long distance fighting. I won't win in a battle of close combat. _It was as if Sinbad prepared for this. Whenever she tried to fly away he would chase her down until he had managed to get another attack in. It wasn't until she managed to parry a few blows and fly as far away from him as she could till she got a breather. Sinbad slowed down a bit so that the fight could last longer. In her moment of freedom she debated her plan.

_What should I do, _she wondered. _He can easily surpass me when it comes to swords. I can't fly up to high to get away from him or force him to use another tactic. If it keeps up like this, I'll be exhausted before I even get a good shot. _She needed a plan. The reason that she had survived this long was never because of her battle strength or speed, but her brain. Strategy and wisdom were her best traits. They say brains are stronger than brawns. Sinbad seemed like a person who understood that ratio. Unfortunately he already proved that he had both. Which meant she had to think of a really good plan to beat him and try not to show him all her skills.

"What, are you done already?" Hakuei glanced at him to see his smirking face. It took all she had to supress the glare.

"Done with the warmup." Sinbad grinned, impressed. But even when she said that she panted for breath. She had no plan.

_I'm going to have to use Paimon, _she realized. But wished she hadn't. She didn't want to show him what her djinn could do. But at the moment it seemed like her only option. Unless she wanted to fly high. Since it was only a practice fight she called to him. "Is it alright with you if I use my djinn?" Sinbad looked surprised, which made her smile. But he quickly hid it with a grin.

"Of course. I'd like to see the difference between our djinn's." she had the feeling he already knew it.

Cautiously she pulled her fan up. She didn't want to use her extreme magic, she would start by controlling the wind around her. Calling on Paimon's abilities, she swiped her fan at him, sending a gust of air at him. It was a powerful one, so powerful Hakuei almost regretted it. She hadn't been planning on hurting him. But Sinbad's face didn't change as he raised his hand. It was only then that she saw the symbol on them. It started to glow, and when it did, a small tornado came out of it, cutting in the middle of her attack and dispersing it. Sinbad grin held false innocence while she struggled to keep her composure. Their powers were alike, but held different forms.

Cursing, she hurried to gain distance and sent the wind at him again. Just like before, he was able to break through it. But she noticed just how much power he used, much more than her. She decided to make a gamble. Her attack required less magoi than his, so if she kept attacking him like that, she might wear him out. Of course she knew the king of Sindria had a much larger quantity of magoi than most, but it seemed like her best option. Again she swiped at him, and again he broke it. Playing defensive wasn't Hakuei's favourite style. She tried flying towards him while swiping, hoping it would give more force with less magoi. He was able to deflect it quickly, but had to fly back as well. Hakuei smiled, and Sinbad realized that he was the prey. The King of Sindria hated being prey.

She swiped at him again, but this time instead of deflecting it he dodged it, flying higher. Gathering power in his hand he sent a tornado at her. Hakuei quickly flew away from it, but the suction from the wind nearly pulled her back. It wasn't smart, she realized, to fight a wind djinn in the air. That gave her an idea.

Flying down, she landed back on the ground. Sinbad looked confused, wondering if she had forfeited. But Hakuei gathered her magoi and shot another blast at him. This time when he dodged, she gathered another one to shoot at him before he could escape. That time it hit him, sending him toppling backwards. Hakuei made first real smile that whole fight. She had found her strategy. The only problem was trying to make it work before he came up with a comeback. Sinbad gained his composure and she could see the wheels in his head turning. _Oh no you don't, _Hakuei thought. Again she sent another whoosh of air at him, but it was too late. He'd adapted, and was ready to conquer.

With that attack, instead of trying to deflect it, he dodged it. But Instead of going up, he aimed down, towards her. _He's going to try close-combat again, _Hakuei realized with a start. But instead, he stopped in the air just above her. It looked like he was enjoying himself. "This game of cat and mouse is starting to get a little dull, don't you think?" Hakuei panted but smiled confidentially.

"I'd say so. I never liked cats anyway." Sinbad's smile got bigger, and Hakuei realized that the fight was the longest she had ever seen him smiling. It surprised her how happy it made him, seeing how strong she was and trying to beat her. She'd finally found a way to get along with him.

But that would be the only day she could fight.

"Let's change things up a bit," Sinbad's voice broke through her thoughts. In a flash of light he got rid of his djinn equip and began to fall. In a flash he grabbed his necklace and called, "Dwell in my body, Valefor!" Another gold light surrounded him, and as he landed on his feet, he was wearing a new equip. This one was a blue, almost looking like a suit of armour. His pants had become like ice and a deeper shade of blue. His arms were coated in blue diamonds, and he had a blue cloak on his shoulder. (**This isn't how Valefor's djinn equip looks. It's a guess since they haven't showed it yet.) **Hakuei started to panic when she saw it. Another djinn equip that she didn't know. He'd seen her tricks while she didn't.

Sinbad held out his hand, but this time turned the palm towards the ground. It looked pointless to her, but he looked like he knew what he was doing. But she didn't. She needed a plan, but had no information!

_I've got to get off the ground, _she thought. Then blinked. _Where did that come from? Why should I get off the ground, what good would that do? _

_Get off the ground, _part of her brain insisted. She had no clue why she was thinking that, but even her body was preparing to get in the air. Silently she berated herself, telling her body to stop. Sinbad watched her in silence, as if he was waiting to see what she would do. Like he was testing her. _Stop it, _she told herself. _I have no information saying I should get off the ground. There would be no point, _

_GET OFF THE FREAKING GROUND! _

She jumped back in shock. On instinct she followed her thoughts and shot into the air. Just in time. Almost immediately after she had lifted off, ice spread around him at an alarming rate and spread around the ground. When it touched something on the ground, it crawled up until it was covered. The ice went so far as to reach Masrur who was in front of the other generals. It went up his body covering his lower half. He looked unharmed, but he could not get out. Sinbad didn't notice, staring at Hakuei. He looked just as surprised as she was. How had she known to do that?

She didn't find out. "Sin, stop!" Both of them turned to Jafar. "How many times have I told you not to use Valefor in Sindria? Look at Masrur!" Masrur didn't complain. He even looked a little bored, but he couldn't move his feet. Sinbad sighed in defeat.

He turned to her, and for the first time, gave her an innocent smile. "Looks like this ends in a draw." Hakuei nodded, too tired to reply. The two of them hurried over to Masrur, all of the generals already trying to get him out. "Sorry Masrur. I got carried away."

"It's fine," Masrur replied, pulling at his legs. Drakkon made a fire and started to thaw him.

"Heck yeah you got carried away," Sharkkon said, but sounded enthusiastic about it. "That fight was awesome! I wish you didn't have to wear that stupid bracelet all the time, you two should fight more often!" That part was directed at Yamu with a glare. She stuck her tongue at him.

"You two were fighting really well together," Yamu added. "It was like you were dancing. It looked really…natural." NATURAL, Hakuei wanted to scream. She was sweaty, tired, and could barely breathe! Sinbad on the other hand looked happy as could be.

"It was an interesting fight. Best I've had in a long time," he noted. Hakuei felt a little better seeing that she had been able to do something without making him furious.

Pisti was the only one excited about the djinn's themselves. "I knew it! I knew that your djinns had to be alike! Both wind djinn's, they had to be similar!"

"Yeah, that was cool!" Sharkkon agreed. "But how'd you know to get off the ground when he used Valefor?"

"I-ah…" Hakuei tried to come up with a good explanation. But she didn't have one. She didn't know how she knew, part of her just told her that she couldn't stay on the ground. "I…good instincts I guess." Sharkkon just grinned like that was a good explanation. He didn't seem to mind that answer, but others did. Masrur glanced at Drakkon, a whole conversation in one look. One Hakuei couldn't interpret.

…

Eventually she convinced the group that she would catch up to them. They let her go, promising to make a good birthday dinner for her. She took the long way around the palace, trying to decide what to do. Ignoring what had just happened didn't sound like the best option. It hadn't been good instincts. Somehow she KNEW to stay off the ground. It was strange. It might have been luck, but she doubted it. As she walked though she was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the man in front of her until she ran into him.

"Oh, my apologizes sir," Hakuei told the older man. He wore a decorated mask to hide his face, the only thing revealed with his beard. It reminded her of her brother Kouen's beard but different colours. He wore regular Sindrian cloaks but didn't look native. The man shook his head, taking the box from her arms.

"It is no trouble. I am sorry for getting in your way." She bent down to pick up his other boxes. They were large, but it didn't look like they were anything in particular. All different boxes in different shapes and sizes.

"Are you a guest here sir?" The man turned back to her and smiled. At least, she assumed that he had smiled. His voice sounded cheery so she could only guess that he had. And even if he didn't, he seemed to be happy.

"Yes, I suppose I am. I only arrived recently." That made her frown a bit. Jafar had told her earlier that tourist's ships only arrived on Thursday, and that day was Wednesday. Just another thing that she didn't understand about the country. "And you ma'am," he asked her, pulling her out of her confusion. "You don't look very native to this country either." She blushed and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Is it really that obvious?" the man laughed, sending a chill up her spine. She wasn't sure why. It was a normal laugh. But it was too normal, plain and unnatural. As if it was mimed from someone else. The man nodded and she sighed. "You are correct sir. I am a guest in this country. My friends help me out here a lot," she gestured towards the palace. He seemed to understand who she was talking about. His head tilted to the side a fraction, enough to look unnatural. What made it worse was that he made no attempt to correct it, even though it looked like he was doing it on purpose. His neck was visibly being stretched by the action.

The man stroked his chin with his free hand. "I see. It's good to have such old friends to show you around new places. It makes you feel less lonely doesn't it?" Hakuei shook her head, the feeling of being alone returning.

"No, actually I only met them a little while ago."

"Oh? But surely you knew them before. Or have some memories." Hakuei shook her head again.

"No. They are very kind to help me out, but we used to be strangers."

The man stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I see," he mused. "How interesting." It was only a little bit of information. But the man did look very interested in the info. Hakuei shuddered at his voice that had become too deep, too thoughtful. _What a strange man, _she thought.

She began to grow increasingly uncomfortable in his company. "Speaking of my friends, I should probably be heading back to them. Is there anything that I can help you with before I do?" the man's eyes crinkled as she asked that, showing that his smile had grown.

"No ma'am. You have already done quite enough for me." She really hadn't done anything for him. Pulling up his things with one hand, he nodded at her. As he walked past he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I hope our paths cross again Hakuei."

She hadn't introduced herself.

Spinning around she went to confront him, only to find that he had disappeared. She stared at the path in confusion, unable to register what happened. The man had appeared, asked her questions, and then disappeared as soon as he'd arrived. She never asked him his name. Neither had he. Yet he knew who she was. There seemed to be a lot of that going around. First King Sinbad, next a stranger who vanishes into thin air. At least she knew Sinbad. That man, she hadn't even seen his face.

_What is wrong with this country, _she wondered.

…

The day was over quicker than normally. Probably because the generals were foolish enough to let Hakuei try to cook. The cake had melted through the table, through the floor and kept going till it completely disappeared. No one was hungry after that. And they asked Sinbad if he could use the bracelet to make sure she didn't cook again. Hakuei stewed in her disappointment while Yamu slipped the bracelet back on, Sinbad waiting silently at the side.

"Just a few more adjustments…there. That should be it," She finished with a grin. Hakuei looked at it to see that it hadn't changed in appearance. Yamuraiha slipped her tools back into her shelf before turning to her king. "Do you want to test it?"

Sinbad grinned. Oh dear. "With pleasure. I command you to…jump up and down." The familiar spark ran up her arm and she jumped up and down involuntarily. Sinbad's grin got wider. "Clap your hands." She did. "Spin all around." She twirled. "And around." She twirled again. "Keep going." Her body forced her to. Bully.

"Okay, okay, that's enough." Sinbad frowned at Yamu, but the bracelet stopped and Hakuei struggled to keep her balance. The world was spinning. "Well looks like that's it. I'm going to finish up some experiments, anyone want to help?" as she asked she pulled out a large bowl of green slime. Both Sinbad and Hakuei cringed.

"Er, I'm tired from the battle," Hakuei fumbled, inching away.

"Yeah, and I got some stuff to do," Sinbad agreed, stepping towards the door. Yamu glared.

"Whatever. I'll see you to tomorrow." They didn't wait for her to change her mind. They sprinted out of the room, throwing the doors open and hurrying away. They didn't stop until they were on the next level to take a breather. It didn't take long for Hakuei to realize she was alone with the king. Again. She was reminded of the events of the night before. A shiver crawled down her spine. She didn't want to be around him for longer than she had to.

"Anyway," she spoke up. "I should head to my room."

"Mhm," Sinbad agreed. An awkward silence fell. Hakuei fidgeted with the ends of her sleeves and tried not to make eye contact. She was surprised he hadn't moved yet. They both had places to be.

But no one left.

She had no clue why. She should have left to her room, pull out a good book or write a letter to someone from home. But all her feet were doing were bullying the floor, kicking it absentmindedly. Sinbad showed no evidence of being uncomfortable, a mask in his normal calm composure. There was no way in a hundred YEARS she would be able to pull that level of acting off. She wondered where he had learned how to act like that, or if it came naturally. Neither of them had any reason to stay. It was ridiculous that she hadn't left.

Since it was clear neither of them were leaving, Hakuei tried talking. Stealing some of Pisti's lines she started, "Our wind djinns are interesting." Sinbad looked a little confused. "I mean, that they are both wind, but they stand for different things. Rule, chaos. Submission, love…" she trailed off nervously when he didn't say anything. What had her brother been thinking before? Trying to get along with him wasn't going to work!

For the sake of conversation Sinbad added, "But their personalities are very similar. Paimon's very energetic." Hakuei wasn't sure how he knew that, but let it go. He already knew so much about her, why not her djinn as well? That tidbit of information annoyed her enough to make her legs move.

"Yes. Well, I should be going." But as she turned and started walking away, Sinbad called out to her.

"I heard it was your birthday today." Hakuei stopped. To be polite, nothing else. Turning back she nodded. "How old are you?" vaguely she wondered if he really didn't know, or if he was asking to get her to stay. She managed a weak smile.

"Oh King Sinbad. Don't you know not to ask a women their age?" Sinbad's mouth tipped up at the right side. At least she had gotten him to smile.

"True. Did you enjoy your birthday?" Hakuei shrugged.

"I wasn't expecting much. It's just another day."

Sinbad wouldn't have any of that. "You should get whatever you want on your birthday. What do you want? I promise anything you ask for is yours!" Why was he being so nice to her that day? That was quite a promise, especially from a king. He probably could have given her anything.

"Anything? Are you sure?" Hakuei asked hesitantly. King Sinbad paused for a moment, then gave a charming grin.

"Anything princess. It's your birthday, you should get whatever you want." Hakuei didn't want any 'thing'. His country had already supplied all she needed. She didn't need anything else. No item anyway…

"Would you tell me what is in the book?" Sinbad's face immediately fell. She had asked the one thing that he hadn't considered, and the one thing that he didn't want her to ask. Hakuei didn't look away. She waited to hear his answer.

Sinbad wanted to say no. There was no way he wanted to tell her about the book. She couldn't find out, not yet. But a king could not break his promise, no matter the request. Hakuei waited for his answer, and he hesitantly told her. "…If you ask for it." her eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to say yes. But he had, and she debated the prospect in her mind. All the while Sinbad waited impatiently, a cold sweat trickling down his back. He was going to have to tell her. She would know everything. No, he could find a way out of it. He was Sinbad. He said he would tell her something, he hadn't said the truth. Or maybe he could generalize it, so that it didn't completely explain all that she asked. How would he do that...?

"Could I ask for us to get along?" Sinbad's thoughts stopped in his tracks. He turned to Hakuei, the confusion plain on his face.

"Excuse me?" the princess paused before explaining.

"King Sinbad, I'm going to be here for a long time. Until they destroy al-thamen, which could be till the end of my life. I don't want to have you hating me forever. Of course I want to know what is in that book. I'm very curious…but it really doesn't have anything to do with me. It's about your country, not mine. Unless I find out that it does have something to do with me, I don't really have the right to figure it out. So even though I don't know why you hate me,"

"I don't hate you," Sinbad interrupted her.

"Yes, I know. You made that…very clear before," she blushed when she remembered what had happened a few days ago. Sinbad's mouth tipped up a bit but fell just as quickly. _Stupid jerk_, she growled in her head. "But you do have a problem with me." He didn't react. "So for my birthday I want to get along. Just tell me whatever it is that I've done and I will try and fix it. I don't think it's fair that you are so angry at me and I don't know what I did. How can I fix it? We don't have to be best friends, I get that. But I want us to get along at least, not arguing every time that we see each other." Seeing she had made her point she stopped and relaxed a bit.

As she did Sinbad took a moment to examine her words. Getting along….It was exactly how Hakuei would put it. She always seemed to find new ways to surprise him, even when she didn't try. Hate her? No, he could never do that. But he did have a problem with her. It wasn't something that he thought he could tell her. How could he explain that to her? 'I have a problem with you, but I can't tell you what it is, so good luck.' But the pleading look in her eyes was unbearable. Just seeing her like that brought back memories. Drakkon had been right. He shouldn't have brought her there.

"It's…nothing you can fix." Hakuei looked horrified at his words. "But…if that's your wish, than I guess we can try. To get along that is." Hakuei brightened so much Sinbad felt guilty. Because he knew, even if he tried, he would never be able to completely forget the problem. How could he? It was the problem that brought her to Sindria. The reason that he wanted her around was the same reason that he couldn't stand having her around. But she looked so happy that he made a decision.

He could at least pretend.


	9. The Paper

The paper

**Hi people! I'm posting this chapter early since the last chapter was posted late. Thank you for all the reviews, you guys rock! To ****_xLiese Altairx _****I'm not sure if I'll be able to get her family to visit for a bit, since the next few chapters are all planned. But I'll try to get them to come in sometime, if I have to I'll make an extra chapter. Thank you, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

"You sure about this?"

"Yes, I am absolutely sure."

"I-I really don't know king Sinbad. What if someone finds out?"

"No one's going to find out Hakuei. Just do what I say, and everything is going to be okay."

"Well…alright. I suppose, as long as we keep it a secret."

"Good. On the count of three okay? One…"

"…two…"

"THREE!" An avalanche of files came tumbling down, covering Hakuei head to foot. Sinbad stood on his desk laughing while Hakuei had to pull herself out of the mess.

"Hey, that wasn't fair! We were supposed to puss the tower towards the window! You weren't supposed to drown me in paper!" Sinbad just smirked as she pushed everything away. A small paper fell down the back of her dress feeling as cold as ice and she started spinning trying to get it out. All that did was make Sinbad laugh even harder.

"I saw an opportunity and I took it. You really need to keep your guard up Hakuei." It annoyed her, him calling her something so informal, but she smiled and took his hand to pull herself up. What's wrong with this picture? They were supposed to be working. It was the middle of the day, Sinbad was supposed to be busy finishing important documents. Hakuei was supposed to be dealing with an argument the toran residents were having with the magnolia residents. Instead the two of them got bored and started playing games with paper. Paper airplanes, pyramids, drawing pictures, and their newest idea, making a tower and destroy it. They were having fun…until Jafar found them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" both of them shot up to see Jafar staring at the scene in the doorway, open-mouthed. Hakuei jumped back and looked embarrassed, but Sinbad was used to his advisor finding him making messes in his office.

"Oh, hey Jafar. What's up?" Jafar wasn't at all amused. Fuming he walked into the room to survey the wreckage.

"These are all important documents! What were you thinking?" Hakuei bowed sheepishly.

"I-I'm sorry Jafar, we shouldn't have been playing." Than to Sinbad she whispered from behind her hand, "You said the door was locked! I told you we would be in trouble if anyone found out!" Sinbad just waved her worries off.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." It didn't look fine, with a fire starting to glow in his subordinates eyes. Hakuei took a quick step so that Sinbad was in front of her. She usually tried to defeat herself, but against Jafar…even she wasn't confident enough to go against him on her own. Sinbad was, but he might have been an idiot.

"These are official Sindrian documents! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get these? Some of these are due in a week! How do you plan on replacing these huh?" Hakuei, who understood how stressful handling a kingdom was, immediately felt guilty and began bowing again.

"I'm very, very sorry. Most of the papers are still salvageable," take away the ones that they drew on. "If I unfold them it should be fine. I don't think any of them got ripped."

"You don't need to do that," Sinbad reassured her. "Jafar, you worry too much! When have I ever let you down?"

"Shall I make a LIST?"

"Okay, fine, when have I ever let you down when it was really important?" To that Jafar had no response. "See? You know I can always get the papers done on time, even if I goof off a bit before I do." both Hakuei and Jafar turned and raised their eyebrows at him. A BIT? "Okay, a lot, but I will get it done! You can trust me Jafar, don't worry!" Jafar was worrying. He was worrying a whole lot. But like always, he gave out a sigh and the fire died down. He really couldn't stay mad at his king, or at Hakuei who looked so guilty she was about to go on her knees and beg. She was considering it, but don't tell anyone that.

"Well, at least the two of you are starting to get along more." at his observation Hakuei and Sinbad looked at each other. Sinbad grinned and Hakuei gave him a small smile before turning to clean up the mess. After Hakuei's birthday, the two of them seemed to have come to some kind of agreement. Sinbad tried to put aside whatever it was that he had against Hakuei, and she him. When the two of them got along, Hakuei was surprised to find that she really enjoyed his company. They had been somehow working together for the last few months with only a few arguments. Jafar was happy to see Sinbad having so much fun. He couldn't remember the last time he has seen his king look so happy and interested.

Actually, he could. But he didn't like thinking about it.

Before either of them could respond, Sharkkon burst into the throne room. "Hey guys, there is a southern creature out! Who gets to destroy it, can I do it?" Hakuei frowned, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Another one? Isn't that the third one this month?" Sinbad and Jafar glanced at each other. The mention of the increased number of southern creatures reminded them of the damage that had been caused to the shield. Yamuriha had gone to fix it a while ago, but it was taking her some time. But that wasn't what worried them. They could deal with the southern creatures easily. What they had a hard time dealing with was the fact that they had still not found a reason for the damage. While his advisor continued to worry Sinbad turned to Sharkkon to answer his question.

"Didn't you get to destroy the last one? Let someone else have a shot. Masrur hasn't defeated one in a long time."

"Yeah, that's because he's always trying to talk to that finalist girl from parthevia." Everyone looked up at that.

"Really? Who?" Sharkkon rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, he never gave me a name. It's not Morgianna I know. I told you this a long time ago! Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" It took all of Sinbad's energy not to press on the information. What Masrur did in his personal life was up to him, and if he wanted him to know he would have come to him. But not meddling….was….so….HARD…

In an attempt to distract himself, he went back to the topic at hand. "Either way, it's not your turn. First we need to summon all the eight generals." At his words the three of them started on their way to gather everyone and head to the southern creature. As they did, Sinbad realized they weren't being followed. Turning he expected to see Hakuei behind him, but instead she was walking around in his office, picking up all of the papers sprayed on the floor. "Hakuei, come on. You can clean that up later."

She looked up and gave him a pleasant smile. "Oh don't worry about me Sinbad. I'd rather not be there since the…ah, the last time." Right. The last time Hakuei had been there to help them defeat one of the southern creatures, it had been Sharkkon and Yamu's turn. But when the two of them were trying to capture it, they got into a fight. When they attacked, Yamu accidently turned her water to heat magic, turning the liquid gross and steamy. So when Sharkkon sliced it open the jelly went spewing everywhere. Luckily, most of the citizens had backed away in time, but poor Hakuei had tried to get closer to see what would happen. In the end she had been covered head to toe in a red and purple liquid that smelled suspiciously like blood and bile. She hadn't eaten much that night.

Even Sinbad wasn't cruel enough to make her come after something like that. "Alright, but don't worry about cleaning too much. I can worry about it when I get back!" With that Sinbad turned and hurried away, leaving Hakuei to decide what to do with the mess. She really didn't mind cleaning up after others. She was used to it with all her siblings making such messes before, and this made her feel more useful in the country. Yes, she was part of the international relations, but at the same time there wasn't much for her to do on that part. She wanted to do something more to help out.

As she was cleaning up for a while, she found that she wasn't as alone as she had previously thought. "HAKUEI-CHAN!" Hakuei yelped when Pisti jumped out of the pile. She was so startled she fell on her back, making more of the papers go flying. Wincing in pain she pulled herself up and glared at the smiling Pisti.

"What are you doing Pisti? Aren't you supposed to be at the hunt?" the younger women shrugged as she used the papers to slip off of the desk as if it was a slide.

"Aren't you supposed to be to? I just got here five minutes ago and you didn't even notice!" Hakuei rolled her eyes as she grabbed the papers that had fallen and started straightening them again. Seeing she was being ignored she changed the topic of conversation. "What is all of this anyway?"

"Some of the official Sindrian documents. Sinbad and I messed them all up when we were…ah…"

"Making paper airplanes?" Pisti asked, holding one very battered one up. Hakuei tried to hide her shame. "But aw! You were playing with Sinbad! Does that mean the two of you are getting along more?" Wow, everyone seemed to be stuck on that. The two of them had been getting along for while, and just that day everyone was starting to notice?

"Yes, I suppose we are. But we have been for a long time now." Pisti frowned, wondering just how out of the loop she was. How much had she missed? Sinbad and Hakuei were getting along. Maybe Yamu and Sharkkon finally got together as well? Oh no, how could she miss such a thing! Hakuei was very confused when Pisti started running around in a panic, screaming something about, 'what's their couple name? It has to be yamukkon!' staying in that country would start to get to her eventually.

But as Pisti started running around too much, she began running into more of the papers. "Be careful Pisti, the papers!" Before she could stop herself, Pisti ran into the desk sending a pile of papers to the floor. Hakuei glared at her while she smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry." Hakuei sighed and the two of them worked to trying to pick up the papers. "Wow some of these drawings aren't bad! Is this one that Sinbad drew?" She held up a picture of a sea monster and Hakuei nodded. "Cool! Than how about…" She trailed off when she found a book. "Hey, what's this?" Hakuei looked over and caught her breath.

Pisti held up the brown leather book that Hakuei had found in the library months ago. It looked just the same, with the two circles on the front and covered in brown leather that had a few scratches and burn marks on it. Other than that though it was in perfect condition, with nothing but a ribbon holding it closed. "It's, um…it's that book I told you guys about." At first she looked confused, but that her eyes widened.

"Oh! I know, that one that was in the hidden room in the library!" Hakuei nodded, making Pisti frowned. "Huh. I wonder why it's so important." Curious, Pisti started to open the book.

"No Pisti, I can't read that! If I do, it will shock my bracelet!"

"But you really want to find out what's in it don't you?" Hakuei couldn't argue with that. "Than how about I read it to YOU? Then your bracelet won't shock you!" Hakuei tried to grab at the book, but Pisti jumped away. "Oh don't worry about Sinbad, I'm sure he won't mind if it's Me." after a few months Hakuei started to realize that the generals really thought that they could get away with anything in that country.

"Pisti, just give it back! I'm already in trouble with Jafar, I don't want Sinbad to be angry with me as well." Again she lunged at the smaller girl but she was too quick. She dodged out of her way and ran onto the desk. Next she tried to corner her but she was easily able to jump over her. "Pisti, please!"

"Alright, alright. Yeesh, such a spoil sport. Are you always so serious?" _maybe, _Hakuei thought but didn't say out loud. Just when Hakuei thought that she could relax, Pisti started untying the ribbon on the side of the book. "Just one little peak couldn't hurt."

"Pisti, no!" This time when Hakuei lunged at her she was able to grab the book, slamming it shut. But when she pulled it away, the ribbon fell open, and out of the book fell a small slip of paper. It fluttered in the air this way and that, until it landed face down on the desk. The two girls stared at the paper in silence. Both of their mouths had dropped open. They stared at the paper, to each other, and back to the paper again. It looked old, almost yellowing. The edges were crumpled and it had fold marks in it, but was well preserved. It was too small to be a complete piece of paper, but the glue on the back indicated that it was attached to one. Written on the back was two simple words. The princess.

"WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS IT?" Pisti dove for it but Hakuei was closer. She snatched the paper away and Pisti landed on the desk in pain. "Ow! That was mean!" she whimpered and rubbed her chin. "I think I broke something!" Hakuei didn't move. "It really hurts!" nothing. Her fake pain wasn't working on her.

"Come on, let me see it! Or at least tell me what it is!" Hakuei shook her head, sticking her tongue out at her as she slipped it back into the book carefully. Putting the book back on the desk she put herself in between her and the book.

"Nope! Besides, I can't read it, I told you that!" Pisti pouted and put her hands on her hips.

"Sure you can! It's not a part of the book when it falls out right?" Hakuei opened her mouth to argue, but slowly closed it. That was true. If it fell out, did that mean the bracelet wouldn't shock her? Would she be able to read it? "Come on Hakuei," Pisti slipped the paper out of the book folded up, than waved it in the air. "You know you want to." well of COURSE she did. That didn't mean that she was supposed to. Sinbad had been very defensive about that paper, she wasn't ready to get him angry again. She was just starting to see why people called him so carefree and funny. The two of them were becoming good friends! She didn't want to ruin that right away. But on the other hand, if they really were going to be friends, he shouldn't be hiding things like that from her.

And that was the absolutely perfect (NOT) time for Sinbad to return.

"Pisti, you can't run out on your duties," at the sound of his voice both girls jumped. Hakuei tried to get as far away from the book as possible while Pisti grabbed it, aiming to put it back where she had found it. Too late though, Sinbad returned with his regular grin on his face. "Ah, there you are! Come on, we need to prepare for the party…" his voice trailed off when he saw the book in her hands. When he saw it she yelped and hid it behind her back, her face turning bright red as if she had been caught with someone's underwear.

Trying to be normal she gave a big smile. "Oh hi Sin! Yeah yeah, I'll be out in a minute!" Sinbad's attention was not moved. He was focused on the book behind her back. Hakuei could practically see the wheels turning in his head, trying to decide his next move.

The one he made was a simple one. "...Where did you get that book?" Pisti quickly realized that she couldn't get out of it.

"Er, I found it on the table. Why, was it a secret? Gosh, for a king I'd think you'd be better at hiding your own secrets,"

"Did you open it?" though the question was directed at Pisti, Sinbad's eyes flickered to Hakuei. Oh come on, she hadn't even said anything!

"N-no," Pisti shook her head. "I wanted to, but it would shock Hakuei if I did so I kept it shut." That was one way of putting it. What happened to the whole, I can get away with anything in my country, attitude? Sinbad didn't look like he knew if he could trust her, but had no other choice.

Walking over he took the book from her hands, ignoring her protests. "That's good. I'll keep this to myself than." He put the book under his arm, and Hakuei watched the action with clenched fists. She was an idiot! She had the chance to try and find out at least what the one paper from the book held, and she let the opportunity go. He probably would make sure to hide it better after that. She might never see the book again! Once the book was back in his possession, he turned to Hakuei with the smile back on his face. "Anyway, come on Hakuei. You're going to have to hurry if you want to get everything done before the party tonight." With an inward sigh she allowed herself to be led by him out the door. Pisti watched the two of them go with a look of disappointment.

But as soon as they had left, her frown changed to an evil smile.

…

"Okay, you need to be very careful with that vial Hakuei." Yamu told her as she handed her a small bottle filled with purple liquid. It was…glowing?

Hakuei decided not to question it. "Don't worry, I'm sure I can handle it." Yamu looked a little nervous, but let it go. It was an experiment with mixing potassium chloride with various magical chemicals to see which one of them would be the most effective for battle and defensive strategies. Though Hakuei didn't know too much about chemistry, she was good at following orders, and Yamu couldn't' do it on her own.

"Next, we need to mix that with the potassium chloride," Yamu told her, pulling out a bowl filled with the white powder. "We need to make sure to only add a little bit. I'm not sure how reactive that material from the country of parthevia is. So to start off, only add a drop, alright?"

"Sure." Hakuei smiled at her. Holding the vial with two hands she steadied it over the bowl, slowly tipping it forward. _Easy…easy…_

"Careful," Yamu told her. "I have a magic Borg around me, but you're not protected." _Thanks for the reminder Yamuriha. _Gently, she tipped it over so just a little bit was falling out. The glowing purple liquid started to fall, just a bit…

"YAMU, HAKUEI!" and she dropped the whole thing in.

Like Yamu had said, she was protected. But Hakuei wasn't. At least it wasn't as explosive as Yamu had thought. Instead it just gave off a minor explosion, the ashes flying and covering Hakuei's face. She was covered in black. The only colour that could be seen was the white and blue of her eyes when she blinked. Yamu wanted to yell, but her face made up for her mistake. "Pfff!" She had a hard time trying to smother her laughter. Hakuei glared at her, but let it go. Even she had to admit it was funny.

Wiping her face she turned. The minute she did she wished that she hadn't. Her face turned pale when she saw Sinbad walking through the open doors. When he saw her whatever mood he had been in before vanished and a big grin spread across his face. "P-princess Hakuei, you look absolutely radiant." Hakuei rolled her eyes and tried to wipe the ashes away.

"Ha ha, very funny. I've heard better jokes from the stone statue in the garden." Sinbad laughed. Almost by instinct, he took a step closer so he was right in front of her. Pulling up his sleeve he wiped a portion away from her mouth.

"I'd be careful about what I got on that pretty mouth of yours." Automatically, Hakuei rolled her eyes. He was really trying to work on them getting along wasn't he? Maybe she should have specified that she wanted to get along as friends. When she saw he was still looking at her, she gave him a smug smirk.

"True. How would I be able to put you in your place without it?" Sinbad grinned so wide his teeth were showing.

"Sharp mouth. You talk like that to everyone?"

"Nope, just the special people." He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, does that make me one of the special ones?" It was Hakuei's turn to laugh.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm just in a good mood."

"Because I walked in the room, right?"

"Now who's acting all high and mighty?"

"Um," Yamu cut in, starting to feel a little awkward. Only a few weeks ago they had started to get along, and now they were talking as if they had known each other for years. "If you two are done flirting, can someone help me clean these things up?" they both turned to face her and Hakuei was glad the ashes hid her blush.

"W-we were not flirting! It was just talking!" oh gosh, she hadn't meant to do that! She didn't even know how to flirt! Sinbad grinned but otherwise ignored her response.

"I'm sorry for messing up your experiment Yamu. I didn't realize that you two were still working." Yamu sighed and shook her head as Hakuei went to grab a towel and wipe of her face. She wouldn't be able to wear that dress for a while.

"What are you in here for Sinbad? I thought you still had a hangover from the party yesterday." Sinbad didn't even try to deny that. But when he remembered his goal being there his face darkened. Hakuei thought the last time she had seen him with that face was when she had been yelling at him.

"Right. Unfortunately, I need help finding something. I was wondering if anyone had seen it." Yamu frowned. Her king usually didn't come to her asking if she had found anything. She was too far away from wherever the documents that Jafar gave him were. The only reason he would come asking her was if he lost it when he was drunk, or he was really desperate to find it.

While wiping the dirt off of her ears, (that stuff was not going to come out of her hair) Hakuei spoke up. "It's going to be kind of hard for us to know what you're looking for unless you tell us." Sinbad smirked a bit at her tone, but it didn't last.

"It's a paper. Small, old, should be folded up. It was from a leather book that I have that's…well, let's just say I need it back. It's got some writing on the back that says, the princess." At the mention of it Hakuei froze. That paper that had fallen out of the book. It must not have stayed in when Pisti had put it back. But she couldn't tell him that. If she did he might start suspecting that she had been searching through his stuff again. Maybe he would think that she just wanted to be friends with him to get his guard down. "Have the two of you seen it anywhere?"

Yamu shook her head. "A piece of paper. Do you have any idea how hard it would be to find in a palace?" Sinbad gave a sheepish smile.

"I understand that. But I really need to find it." Yamu shook her head thinking it was hopeless. Hakuei blurted her response.

"Why?" both of them turned to her and she shuddered. She hadn't meant to speak out loud. "I-I mean, why is it so important? What's on it?" at her question Sinbad's eyes fluttered away from her, anywhere but direct eye contact. He was hiding something. Well duh. When wasn't he?

"It's…It's very important. It's important, but I can't tell you what's on it." Hakuei knew better than to continue. Yamu on the other hand put her hands on her hips.

"Well how are we supposed to know what it is if we don't know what's written on it?" Sinbad didn't answer, so she just gave him a sigh. "Well, from what you've told me no, I haven't seen it. I don't know if I have any magic that will help you find something so vague. Unless, you said it was in a book right? If I had the book than I-" she stopped when she saw the look in his eyes. He wasn't going to let her see whatever book it was. "Never mind." She crossed her arms and huffed. Hakuei really might have been on to something when she said he was hiding something.

Sinbad turned to Hakuei. Inwardly she gulped, but tried to hide her distress with a normal calm expression. "Anything from that book I'm not allowed to read. Even if I did see it the bracelet would probably lead me away." He nodded, remembering that, but still looked suspicious of her. He had a right to be. She had been the only one who had been curious about that strange book.

Annoyed, Sinbad gave them both a smile. "I see. Thank you ladies for your time. If you see it please tell me." Sinbad waved to both of them as he walked away. They waited for the door to close so that Yamu could give a sigh and shake her head, confused.

"That was weird. Sinbad's never come here looking for something. Never seen him so worried about some piece of paper." She shrugged and grabbed a broom to clean up. I wonder why I've never heard about it before. Sounds like it's really important. Wonder what's on it…Hey Hakuei, are you alright?" Hakuei didn't answer. Her eyes were trained on the door, watching the place that he had left. "Hakuei!" her shout brought her back to attention.

"O-oh, sorry Yamu! Um…I'm going to go and clean up all these ashes. I'll ah, be right back." Before Yamu could protest Hakuei had burst out the back door and was running through the garden, on search of Pisti. Maybe she knew where the paper was.

Eventually she found her in the garden. Pisti sat among a group of birds feeding them all bird seed and stroking their feathers. When she did stuff like that it became harder and harder for Hakuei to stop seeing her as a young child. How could you not make that mistake? The chubby cheeks added with the small body and joyful attitude all just screamed CHILD! At the sound of her footsteps Pisti looked up and smiled at her. "Hi Hakuei! Do you want to help me feed my birds? Sally here is a bit of a biter, but you can feed the other ones!"

Hakuei shook her head as she sat down next to her, the birds fluttered to get out of her way. "No thank you Pisti. I came here to talk to you about something important."

"How important," Pisti questioned, giving some more seeds to a raven. "Like, Sharkkon proposed to Yamu important, or Drakkon proposed to his wife important?" Hakuei gave her friend a strange look.

"Um…I'm pretty sure both of those would be important." This time Pisti shook her head, holding a finger up in protest.

"Not exactly. See, Drakkon and his wife are already married, so it's old news that he proposed to her. But Sharkkon and Yamu aren't even dating, so that would be HUGE news!" Pisti exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in excitement. _But that's excitement, not importance, _Hakuei debated in her head, but shook it off. She had too many things to worry about and that wasn't something she wanted to add to the list.

"Er, okay fine. Then it's…Masrur dancing at a party." It took Pisti a moment to process that information.

"Hm…that's pretty big I guess….unless he was drunk. Oh well, so what is it?" Pisti turned to Hakuei excitedly, making Hakuei wonder why she couldn't have just started listening in the first place instead of making her go through that.

"It's about that…that thing from yesterday." Pisti blinked in false innocence.

"What thing?" Hakuei glared at her. "Oh, THAT thing. Yeah, I remember it. What about it?" Hakuei hoped that they were really talking about the same thing.

"Where is it?" Pisti gaped at her and put a hand to her heart, faking offence.

"Hakuei! And to think, I thought that we were friends! Goodness, after all that we had been through, don't you trust me? I mean, I helped you pick out your nice cloths, decorate your room, I even helped you find the best hairdresser when you wanted to cut your hair! And now, after all that, you come to me accusing me of taking something that doesn't belong to me? Is this how you treat your friends back in Kou? Well I have news for you princess, down here we learn that we need to trust our friends!"

"King Sinbad is looking for it."

"Wow, what do you know, it was in my pocket the whole time!"

Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the small paper, folded into a smaller square. On the back were the incriminating words, the princess. Hakuei glared at her with her hands on her hips. "Aw, come on Hakuei-chan. You can't be that mad at me. He never asked about it before, and I was going to put it back! I'm doing you a favour!"

"You're not doing me a favour," Hakuei sputtered incredulously. "How are you doing me a favour? King Sinbad is running around the palace looking for this paper, and when push comes to shove, we both know that I am going to be his number one suspect!" She snatched the paper out of her fingers before Pisti could react.

"But he doesn't know I have it! I was going to put it back, honest!"

"Do you even know where the book is?"

"Hey, I didn't say it was a foolproof plan. I still have to work out the bugs!"

"One of the bugs being the king is looking for it, you are one of the only ones who he hasn't spoken to and he's not going to just believe it magically appeared in his book again?"

"Yeah, that stuff!" Pisti sighed and shook her head. "Honestly it's like you have no faith in me at all."

Well, she had a good reason. Hakuei shook her head, focusing on the paper in front of her. It was old, very old. Breaking a bit at the edges. She wondered if it was a poem, or a letter. Perhaps it was the deed to the island or something. The book had seemed like some kind of history novel to her. Curiously she fingered at the sides of the paper. Pisti took note of the action and grinned wildly. "Oooh, you want to see what's inside." Catching her breath she glared daggers at Pisti. If she was getting kicked of the island it was going to be because of something Pisti did, she knew it.

"What? No-well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't…interested." All that did was make Pisti's grin get even bigger.

"Then open it! Go ahead, I won't tell anyone! I haven't seen what's on the inside yet, you'd be the first one!" next to Sinbad of course. She opened her mouth to say no, but slowly shut it, her eyes shifting back to the paper. When Sinbad had taken the book last time, she remembered how foolish she felt for not taking advantage of the situation. Being put on the spot, her obvious answer was no. But she knew how much she would regret it in the future if she didn't. Besides, it was only one little piece of paper. How angry could Sinbad be at her for just taking a quick peek? All these excuses and more were starting to boil up inside of her. By then she knew that there was no point anymore. She was going to open it.

"Come on, the bracelet won't shock you if it isn't in the book!" Hakuei glanced at her warily. Than sighed in what she meant to sound like defeat, but instead it sounded like excitement.

"I suppose just one little peak couldn't hurt," she suggested, trying to sound nonchalant. Her aloof act didn't work when she hurried to slip the paper open. Pisti grinned and waited in suspense for the big unveil. Hakuei flipped over one side. Than another. Than the last one.

She stopped.

Pisti waited impatiently. She began tapping her foot. "Um…Hakuei? Can I see it?" Hakuei didn't respond. Her eyes were glued to the paper that she held in her hands, focusing on whatever was written on the other side. The younger general frowned and tried to edge around her to see what was on it. "What? I want to see it to! Come on, what's so shocking?" It must have been something big. Hakuei's mouth had fallen open and even her hands that had been shaking with excitement had stopped. In her head Pisti wondered what on earth it could have been. Must have been cool. Maybe a poem Sinbad had written for someone! Okay, that wasn't the first option. But something like that! "Hakueiiiiii,"

"…Where is Sinbad now?" her voice was slow, controlled. It scared Pisti a little bit. She had never heard her fried say something in a way that sounded so…menacing. Besides, why would she want to know that? They were holding the exact thing that they DIDN'T want him to see them with.

But Hakuei persisted on the question to Pisti shrugged. "I don't know. How should I, you were the one coming to me asking where he is."

"I need to go find him," Hakuei interrupted.

Pisti blinked at her. "What? Isn't he the guy we are trying to avoid? You know, because he's looking for that paper and he's probably going to be really mad at us? The same guy who can get us both in a lot of trouble? Ringing any bells?" but her friend was not responding at all. Her hands that had been frozen tightened, almost ripping the paper. "Hey, wait! I haven't seen it yet!" she tried to snatch the paper out of her hands but Hakuei held onto it tight. It was only then that Pisti saw the fire in her eyes.

Hakuei was over her shock. After she looked absolutely furious.

"I'm going to go find him," she told Pisti who gave and audible gulp. "We need to talk."

…

"King Sinbad? May I speak to you…Oh, I'm sorry Masrur, I didn't realize you were here." Masrur and Sinbad turned back to her through the mess of the room. In an attempt to try and find the paper that had been lost he had searched through the entire room. And since some of the furniture was really heavy, he requited Masrur to help. He was currently holding a giant throne in his left hand while Sinbad got up from looking underneath.

When Sinbad saw it was her he tried to act normal. "Ah, Hakuei. What can I do for you?" She tried to give a smile, but her mouth was frozen in a line. When Sinbad saw that he immediately knew something was wrong. How he was able to read her so easily, she didn't know. "Masrur, you can leave if you want. I don't think it's in here." Masrur shrugged and set the throne back in it's spot. Silently he walked past Hakuei, the two of them giving each other a polite head nod, then left the room. Sinbad moved so that he was sitting at his throne and leaned back in it, much more comfortable in his throne chair than anyone she had ever seen. Hakuei walked closer to him so that she was directly in front of him. He gave an easy smile, happy to see her. He wouldn't be for long.

"King Sinbad, what are you doing?" He sighed, kicking at the chair.

"I was looking for the paper that had fallen out of the book. I haven't found it anywhere!" he threw his hands up in the air, exasperated. He was desperate to find that paper. He needed it back! If he didn't, he didn't know,

"I have it." his heart stopped. That was the worst situation that he was too afraid of to even consider. Slowly, he turned to look her in the eye.

"…What?"

"It had slipped out of the book when Pisti had it and she gave it to me. When it fell out of the book I'm guessing that the bracelets command didn't apply to it." Sinbad didn't respond. He was going to have to have a talk with Pisti later. But that wasn't the main issue. Instead of looking embarrassed like she would have when knowing she did something wrong, she looked angry. Glaring at Sinbad like he was the criminal.

If she was looking like that, that meant she had seen what was on the paper.

Sitting up straighter Sinbad tried to look more in control than he actually was. It didn't faze her at all, and she reached into her pocket (A DRESS WITH A POCKET IS AWESOME!) to grab the paper. He watched her movements until she pulled the right paper out, and his heart lurched. It was the right one. Even from where he sat he could see the writing on the back. The princess written in someone else's handwriting. He hoped she hadn't figured out just who's handwriting it was. "You know, when I first saw the paper…or the book at least," Hakuei started, more to herself that to him. "I thought it was more of a book about Sindria's past. That maybe you were writing a book about the past of your country so that no one ever forgot it." holding the paper, now folded, in front of her face, she flipped it around a few times. As if to examine if it had any more hidden messages. "But then, why would you be so secretive about that? Your other books are all out in the open, not in some hidden room in the library. So than I thought it was some official documents, secrets about your country that you wrote down in case you needed to remember it. That was the idea I had been stuck on for the longest. But then I saw this," Hakuei snipped at him, holding the paper out further away from her. Sinbad said nothing, his eyes glued on her. He seemed to know that she wasn't done. He always knew. At least now she had a clue why.

"The paper when I first saw it, I thought it had some kind of writing on it," gingerly, she started tugging at the paper. She was going to unfold it. At his side Sinbad squeezed the armrests of his chair, but kept his mouth shut. "Maybe part of one of your stories, a poem or a letter to someone. But to be honest," she commented as she finally finished unfolding the paper. It was facing her, and she examined it. The more she looked at it the more her anger grew. Her hand that held it clenched it so tight Sinbad was afraid it was going to break. With a vengeance her eyes shot up and caught his, the two of them having their own stare-down. Turning the paper she held it out in front of her so that Sinbad had no choice but to look at it.

"I never thought that it was a drawing. Much less one of me." the drawing was done in pencil, old and starting to fade. But it was an amazing drawing all the less. It only showed her face, facing away from the artist and looking at someone else. It was a very accurate drawing, a perfect frame but very little shading. Not only was it very old though, it was from even before she had become a dungeon capturer. It showed her when she was around 10 years old, maybe older. Before she became a dungeon capturer, before she became a general. And before she became anything of political importance! At that time of her life, she wasn't that important. And her smile, it was so big. Bigger and brighter than it had been for a long time.

"Where did you get this drawing," Hakuei demanded, slamming the paper on the desk. Sinbad barely flinched at the action, angering her even more. "Why do you even have this drawing? We never met at this age, we were strangers! I don't even know how you got this drawing! How old were you when this drawing was made? 15? 16? How could you have even known about me? But more than that, why on earth do you even have a drawing of ME?" at the end Hakuei was so mad she had started screaming, and she had to stop to catch her breath. Sinbad remained emotionless the whole time, his face rested in the palm of his hand. Once he was sure she was done he covered his eyes, trying to decide what to do. Silently fuming she waited, annoyed at him for not showing some embarrassment or explanation or something. What right did he have to have that photo? Hakuei was so confused, she felt like everything was making less and less sense. How did he own that drawing? How did it exist? Why, where, when, who, how? It made no sense, none of it! Somehow he had gotten his hands on a drawing at a time when she was so young, so small so…

So vulnerable. That might have been what annoyed her about it the most. When she was ten she was still learning about the world, her brothers hadn't even died yet. She was innocent, she had no idea what was yet to come in her future. Her brother's deaths, many more deaths to come, al-thamen attacking, her mother's betrayal, the banker! She hated being vulnerable, looking weak in front of someone. Especially a stranger. What gave Sinbad the right to have a piece of a time that she wished she could completely erase her past? Just the thought that he knew about her that much made her insides tremble and her hands feel stiff. She had to know why. So that she could erase this whole thing from her memory. It had to disappear.

Without a word, Sinbad reached out with his free hand. He picked up the paper on his desk and held it up to his face. Her hands clenched the more he looked at it, just as absorbed in the photo as he was. How dare he? Stop looking at that photo! After what felt like forever, Sinbad's eyes shifted so that he could focus on her. When he opened his mouth, Hakuei had been expecting an explanation. She would demand it. But he didn't give her that.

"…Why does it matter so much?" she drew back, just a bit.

"Excuse me?"

"Does it matter that I have this drawing? It's just a drawing. Why would it matter to you so much?" her heart twisted in her chest. She couldn't give him the real reason. Part of her knew that he was just trying to divert the attention away from himself. But she couldn't think of a proper comeback.

"B-because you didn't know me! You shouldn't have had that photo from back then, when you weren't even,"

"It could be that," Sinbad suggested, his voice calm and controlled. His posture was relaxed, but he still didn't smile. It bugged her even more, how he could be so calm when she was furious with him. "Or perhaps it's because of how vulnerable you were at that age?" _No, _Hakuei's thoughts shouted at her. _NO, how did he know that? I never told anyone what I thought about that age!_

"How did you-"

"Am I right?" Sinbad demanded, making her bite back her words. "Do you hate being vulnerable that much Hakuei? That you would try and get rid of anything that reminds you of it?" her eyes went wide, and she took a hesitant step back. All of her energy slowly started to drain out of her when she realized she was the one under the microscope. How had she become the one under suspicion in this conversation? "Hakuei,"

"It's general Hakuei," she managed to get out. "Or princess Hakuei at least." Sinbad raised an eyebrow.

"Since when? You didn't care when I called you Hakuei before." In fact she had, but she didn't say anything about it because it was only a minor annoyance.

"That was before I found this drawing! This invasion into my privacy that you shouldn't even have!"

"Why not," Sinbad countered. "It's just a drawing. I could have picked it up by accident and forgotten to get rid of It." they both knew that explanation was flawed. If it were really an accident, he wouldn't have held onto it for so long, or have tried so hard to get it back. Again he diverted the attention away from him, focusing on her problems. "I'm just trying to be closer to you Hakuei. Aren't you the one who said you wanted us to get along?" Hakuei knew it wasn't about that. And the way that he said closer sent chills up her spine. He had that picture. Had he been planning this? It worried her that he seemed to always have a plan for what to do with her when she knew nothing about him. How did he know so much about her? Returning to old theories, she began to wonder if he might have been planning on using her against her country. She was not a tool. That was why she hated being vulnerable.

Without thinking she told him, "Well…well maybe I don't want that anymore!" for the first time Hakuei got a reaction out of him. His eyes sprung up and she could see the surprise in them.

"What?"

"Maybe I don't want to get closer to you," Hakuei fumed, crossing her arms. "Maybe I take it back?" it came out more like a question than a command. Sinbad shook his head, treating her as if she was a child who didn't understand anything. Yes, she was being childish, but the only reason she was acting like she didn't understand anything was because she really DIDN'T understand what was going on! He hadn't told her anything, and if he wanted her to behave better than he should have started explaining.

"You can't just call back a friendship Hakuei," Sinbad replied. He almost looked amused, the jerk. "That's like trying to force yourself not to have feelings. That's friendship for you," he told her with a smile. She hated the way that his words always came out. Smooth, as if he had practiced them. There was never any hesitation, and he always seemed to know the exact thing to say to get his way. Hakuei wished she had that same skill, but at the same time she didn't. She felt that often the best time to use it was when you had done something wrong, or to deceive someone. That was something she could live without.

"You know what a friendship is King Sinbad," Hakuei demanded, trying hard to sound authoritative. "A friendship is trust. Equal trust between the two people. This…our relationship," she gestured to the two of them swiftly. "We don't have that. We never had that, even when we did start to get along.'

'You've been lying to me Sinbad. You've been lying to me ever since I got to this country, for as long as I have been and will be here. Why can't you just answer my questions instead of avoiding them? It would make everything so much easier,"

"Easier," Sinbad almost yelled incredulously. "Easier for who? For you? It wouldn't be easier for me Hakuei, I can guarantee that."

"Why not," Hakuei accused him angrily. "What's so wrong with just telling me the truth? We can clear up this whole problem if you just were honest with me! What am I not understanding?"

Sinbad hissed at her, standing up from his chair. "I can't tell you that." Hakuei could feel her breathing get heavier and heavier the angrier she got. _Calm down…calm… _"Hakuei…" She was surprised to see the emotion on his face. Clear, open and full of a sorrow that she did not understand. A sorrow that somehow she caused. "There's just a lot that you don't understand."

"Then HELP me understand."

"NO," Sinbad insisted, angry. "I can't. Not yet." he leaned back in his chair, cutting off the conversation. Hakuei balled her hands into fists at her side. Spinning on her heel she stormed out like a child, slamming the doors shut behind her.

_There is something wrong with him, _she reasoned in her head. _And for some reason I have something to do with it. I don't understand any of it. He's confusing, reckless, a liar and deceitful. But I have to know what he's keeping from me. Insane or not, whatever his problem is had caused me a lot of problems that I have to find out. I need to figure out what he's hiding from me. I need to discover Sinbad's secret. _


	10. Old Friend

Old friend

**Hey everyone. This part of the story was taken from a short story that I deleted a while ago called green monster. I hope you enjoy! **

"Guess what Hakuei?" Hakuei groaned at her friend.

"No, please Pisti, I don't want to play another guessing game." The last time she had played one of those games with Pisti, she had ended up finding a skeleton in her closet. She still wasn't sure if it had been real or not.

To her relief, Pisti shook her head. "No, we aren't playing a game yet," _YET? _"I was just going to tell you that our country is having a guest!" Hakuei didn't follow. They had guests all the time. Pisti continued. "He's from one of our allied countries. Since their country is so far away, they come here every two years to make sure everything is up to speed. And whenever he comes, that means there's going to be a big party on the day he comes, and another one on the day he leaves." Another one? Hakuei was starting to think that this country had too many parties. It wasn't healthy, was it? She guessed it was fine, as long as they still got their work done in the end.

"Well that's good I suppose. But why are you so happy about it?" as it turned out, Pisti wasn't too happy about it. When her friend asked her that she put on her cutest face, and her most darling smile. For someone who always complained about her small body, she really used it to her advantage to get the cute angle.

"Actually, that's the thing. Whenever he comes, I always have to tour him around the country. But well…it's really boring, and I was going to go to the forest so…If you weren't busy today…"

"You want me to show him around," Hakuei finished for her when what she was asking dawned on her. Pisti nodded rapidly and made her eyes as big and teary as possible.

"PLEEEEEAAAASSSSSSEEEEEE? He already knows where everything is, it won't take long. And he's really nice, you can make a new friend! And besides, you're working with different cultures, this should be your job." Hakuei placed the spare book into the correct spot on the library shelf before turning back to her. The idea wasn't the worst in the world. International relations was the way that she was helping to pay off her stay, so this was something she should do.

"Should it really be me? I'm not a Sindrian citizen. Am I even allowed?" Pisti waved it off like it was no big thing.

"If you are allowed to work in international relations, you can show someone around our country. As long as you know where everything is." Hakuei nodded, so Pisti jumped up and down. "Perfect! See, everything is working out! So will you, huh huh?"

Hakuei hesitated before answering. "Well…" before she got the chance to, they heard someone shouting from outside. The two of them ran out to the garden to see everyone heading down to the docks. Most of the soldiers, even some of the generals were walking in the same direction. Hakuei looked to Pisti in confusion. "Is the hunt on?"

Pisti shook her head. "No. this just means that the prince is here." _Already? He's coming today, and Pisti is only asking me now? _Hakuei shook her head, knowing that whatever she said wouldn't do anything to affect the barrier of cuteness she had surrounded herself with. "Soooooooo..."

"We'll see when I meet him."

When the two of them arrived there, the boat was already docked. Many of the soldiers were all standing at attention, along with some of the generals. Yamu, Spartos, Hinahoho and Jafar all waited there on the docks. Hakuei asked them where they others were, and Yamu told her. Sharkkon had a headache from drinking the night before. One of Hinahoho's kids were sick and he was looking after them. Drakkon was busy training some of the troops, and no one knew where Masrur was. Standing near the front was King Sinbad, with Jafar on his side. When Hakuei had come over, Sinbad had turned in her direction, but turned away just as quickly. Curious, she walked up to his other side.

"Excuse me, king Sinbad?" he turned to look Hakuei in the eye. As always, they were bright and golden and, unfortunately, held the same unreadable emotions as he usually did. After what had happened with the picture not that long ago, the way that they treated each other seemed to have matched and switched. Though Sinbad was still very vague and mysterious to her, it seemed that he was trying to get along with her more. She was finally starting to see why many called him charming, but unlike them, didn't fall for it. After him refusing to tell her anything, she got really angry with him. If she wasn't a guest, she would have argued with him more, but she wasn't allowed to be rude to the king. Even if she did, he could just force her to stop talking. So Sinbad was still angry with her while trying to get along, Hakuei was also trying to get along but was angry with him at the same time.

"…Just Sinbad is fine," he slowly added with a small smile, but Hakuei didn't budge.

"King Sinbad, Pisti was asking me if I could show the representative around instead of her, since I'm helping with different cultures. But I am not a citizen of Sindria, so I wanted to know if that was alright with you." He frowned and glanced at Jafar.

"I have nothing against the idea…Are you sure you want to? You don't have to, Pisti just hates working on sunny days like today." Everyone knew that, but Hakuei just shrugged. It sounded like Sinbad was trying to be nice, but she didn't need him to be. It was part of her job after all. "How about you meet him, than we can decide."

All at once, the group from Surinam descended the ship, and the man she guessed was the representative walked forward. He had brown hair that was cut short and official. The man sported the regular royal garments of most princes, with the emblem of a wolf on the chest. He looked fit, so she guessed that he was one of their fighters as well. Older than her, maybe Sinbad's age. But when he looked up, Hakuei gasped. She knew him. Sinbad frowned and turned to her again. He was surprised to see her cheeks had turned a light shade of pink. "Hakuei? What's wrong?" realizing she had been caught, she turned away.

"It's nothing," she told him, but he didn't look away. It wasn't fair. She could never tell what the heck he was thinking, but he seemed to be able to read her like a book.

"Would you like to head back inside?" At his questions others started to notice her face as well, but Hakuei shook them all off, hoping no one would pay attention. This was not something she needed now. Not with him around, not in front of Sinbad, none!

"No, no I'm fine." It looked like Sinbad wanted to continue, but was interrupted by his adviser elbowing him in the side. Sinbad glared at him, but turned back to the prince with a smile.

"Prince Thomas. It's good to see you old friend." Thomas gave a quick bow before taking Sinbad's hand. Hakuei watched the two of them in awe. Well, mostly at the prince standing in front of Sinbad. He still had the scar by his ear.

"You as well. I hope that this visit will not take up to much of your time." Sinbad shook his head, returning to his usual charming self. Oh, so when other guests came to visit he was charming, but when she came to visit she was the bane of his existence. Feeling the love.

"What are you saying Thomas? You're our guest, I want you to enjoy your time here!" Thomas smiled, shaking his hand quickly again before letting go.

"Thank you very much. I suppose it will be like every regular visit?"

Sinbad nodded, the smile never leaving his face. "Sounds right. Pisti will be bringing you to your quarters if you don't," Sinbad was saying as he moved so Pisti could walk over, but instead Thomas's eyes landed on Hakuei.

Then it happened.

"Hakuei?"

Everyone turned to Hakuei. Including Sinbad, and Hakuei hurried to hide the growing red on her cheeks. But even all that, she couldn't hide the smile that was growing on her face at the sight of him. Just him being there started to make the sun shine more.

"Hello Thomas. How are you doing?" Thomas looked taken aback for a moment, then to everyone's surprise, started blushing as well. Seeing his reaction just made her all the happier. She was thrilled he was there, she wished she had known earlier! If she had, she might have done more to look better instead of just wearing what she wore every day.

"I'm fine. It's great to see you, what are you doing here?" she avoided his eyes nervously, and started fidgeting.

"O-oh that. It's a very l-long story." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sinbad was staring at her. Perhaps it was because she stuttered. Oh man, she stuttered! She hated stuttering! The only time she had ever stuttered when he had heard was when he was the one talking. Part of her hoped it bugged him. Served him right.

"Do you two know each other?" Sinbad interrupted, and they both turned to him. Hakuei hadn't expected him to say anything, and she wasn't sure she liked it. She had been having a perfectly good conversation with her friend!

"Y-yes," Thomas stuttered. At least she wasn't the only one stuttering. "We…we've known each other for a long time. We met at the,"

"The land the Kou Empire owns in the north. It's the closest to his kingdom," Hakuei finished for him, the memories flooding back to her. When she did the two of them laughed and smiled a little, as if sharing their own private joke. The rest of them grew more uncomfortable and confused, making Hakuei feel guilty. None of them had probably seen her acting that way before, and she didn't want to confuse her friends. But she really couldn't help it, she was too happy. Sinbad was the only one who seemed disturbed by her knew behaviour. It looked like he wanted to ask, but instead he tried to change the discussion.

"Good, well then, Pisti, why don't you bring Prince Thomas to his quarters than I,"

"Actually Sinbad, if Pisti doesn't mind I would like to take Thomas to his room," Hakuei interrupted. "I-I know that I'm not a representative of Sindria, but if Thomas doesn't mind,"

"No not at all!" Thomas answered her question, much happier than he was when he first arrived. "I'd be honoured to have you show me around Hakuei. You could tell me why you are here as we walk." Hakuei nodded happily, but she could feel Sinbad's glare on her back. Why was he so mad? She was doing her job, wasn't she?

"YAY!" Pisti jumped up and down, running over and hugging Hakuei so hard, she couldn't breathe. "Oh thank you so much Hakuei, you're the best!" She squeezed Hakuei tight again, and she coughed, trying to smile at her.

"n-no problem Pisti." Thomas she gave another smile and said, "Really, it's no problem."

"Hold on a moment," Sinbad interrupted her cheery mood. "Hakuei, you're still a guest here." Hakuei narrowed her eyes at him. Didn't he say just a moment ago that he was fine with it? He was ruining her good mood. Luckily Thomas came to her rescue.

"Oh don't worry about that King Sinbad. I really don't mind, I know where everything is anyway." Pisti send Hakuei her famous, _I told you so, _Look. Sinbad didn't look convinced, but he really didn't have another argument. It was kind of funny to watch him to be the one to fumble around for a bit.

"Hakuei, I thought you still wanted to-"

"Then it's settled!" Pisti cheered happily. "Thomas, just follow Hakuei, okay?"

"Wait, maybe Hakuei shouldn't,"

"Sounds fine by me." Thomas offered Hakuei his arm. "Shall we go?" Hakuei's face turned even pinker, but being her usual brave self she took his arm.

"I guess we shall." With a grin, Thomas led Hakuei away, his people following him. Hakuei blushed even more and turned away from him, unable to meet his eyes. But she couldn't help but to smile. She was seeing an old friend. One she never thought she would have been able to see ever again. How could she not be happy? Even she knew that there was nothing anyone could do to destroy the joy she was feeling in her heart.

Even knowing just how dark Sinbad's glare was when he watched them go.

…

"No, no, how I remember it Hakuryuu was the one who ate the cake that I made." Thomas laughed and took another sip of his wine, before turning to correct Hakuei's mistake.

"I'm pretty sure I remember being the one that was sent to the doctors for two days. And then I couldn't eat cake for weeks later." Nervously he glanced down at the food he had put on his plate in front of him. "You, ah…didn't happen to make this meal to…Did you?" Hakuei rolled her eyes. As proof she took a piece of his cake and ate it in front of him.

"No, the citizens made this food. But I'm getting better at cooking! Some of them are teaching me, and I can make pretty good lemon pie now!" Thomas looked impressed, so Hakuei decided not to tell him that lemon pie was the only thing she was able to cook on her own. Or how long it took her to get it right.

It felt like only a few minutes had passed since she had brought him around the country of Sindria. Well, not exactly. The way the roads in that country were styled still confused her so much that she ended up getting the two of them lost a few times. Poor Thomas had to be the one to show her around. Hakuei had apologized a million times, but Thomas wouldn't hear a word of it. 'It wasn't my usual trip here, but it definitely was a lot more fun showing you around.' She didn't want to admit that put a warm feeling in her heart.

But what felt like minutes had been hours. It was night, and the party for his arrival had already started. The two of them had enjoyed the party, but after a while they had decided to take a break Hakuei and Thomas sat on the stairs to the palace, staying away from all the noise and dancing citizens to just talk and catch up. For a while they talked about her family, all that had happened to bring her to Sindria. Not much had happened to him, but his sister had gotten married. He actually sounded depressed that his past few years hadn't been as eventful as hers had. For her, she wished her life hadn't been uneventful.

"It really isn't as exciting as it sounds. I thought I was going to die so many times over the last few years. And now here I am, in a country I'd never been to before the events that happened." With a sigh she turned back to him, an easy smile on her face to match his. "It's nice to see an old friend again." He smiled, not knowing just how much she appreciated seeing him. Truly, she could never be so happy to see him. He had always lived so far away from all the problems that she had, of wars and disputes. Never known the number of deaths that she had seen. His country was a peaceful one, all their military power put in defense, and never got into fights with other countries. It was nice, almost fresh to have company that wasn't so brought down by the things that she had seen. He was innocent, with a smile to prove it. Of course he had gone through tragedies of his own, but she doubted that they weren't on the same scale of the ones she had gone through. It showed in the way that he acted, that he was oblivious to a lot of it. And that made her happy. He was almost a sort of medicine for her. One that she sometimes took too much of.

"Still, I can't help wishing that I was there, at least for the magnustand war. All of those nations' representatives there at once would have been amazing. Too bad I don't have a djinn myself. I would have swooped in there and destroyed anyone who got in my way!" he cheered happily, using his hands to act out him flying around. Hakuei couldn't help but to laugh, reaching out and grabbing his hands to make him stop.

"I'm sure you would have. But I'm still glad you weren't there. There were enough of my friends and family at a battle like that, I wouldn't want to add another one to the list." Thomas gave his regular cheerful grin. Than noticed her hands still on his, and she pulled away sheepishly. It felt like the last few months had been nothing but her causing embarrassing and awkward moments. Most of it had been because she really had a problem with understanding a lot of what happened in Sindria.

It wasn't like that with Thomas. She could not express just how relieved she was that he was there.

Just when their conversation was starting to get interesting, someone tapped her on the shoulder. Turning she found Jafar smiling down at the two of them. "Excuse my interruption," he told the two of them, "But the main course is ready. All the generals are eating at one table, if the two of you want to join us." Both of them nodded, raising out of their seats. Thomas headed over to the table, but Jafar stopped Hakuei first.

"Actually princess, do you mind going to get Sinbad first? I think he was over by the ledge." His request made Hakuei frown. She knew that Jafar could have just as easily gone to get him. But ever since their fight, he and a few of the other generals had been trying hard to make the two of them get along again. By trying to force the two of them to get talk. So far it was only him, Hinahoho, Drakkon and Masrur a few times. So far, nothing they had done had worked. She wasn't sure why they tried. What good would it do for them if he got along with her? So far the two of them arguing hadn't caused any problems. She understood that they were good friends, but why were they doing so much?

But she couldn't say no to Jafar. He was too nice to her. "Yes Jafar. Thomas, I'll be right back!" dreading every footstep she walked away from her group over to find Sinbad. And along with Sinbad, who knew how many girls sitting around him. Every party, even when he didn't want them to, there were girls surrounding him. He certainly earned his nickname, lady-killer of the seven seas. It bugged her. She wasn't sure why it bugged her. It wasn't any of her business. But she really couldn't do anything to stop the anger she felt when she saw him with all of them. Every time, she swallowed her pride though. Because, like she said, it was none of her business. And she hoped that it never would become her business. Walking closer she could hear the girls talking already.

"Your majesty, let's have another drink!"

Hakuei felt like she was going to be sick.

And that feeling in her heart was back.

"King Sinbad, let me go next!"

She didn't like it.

"Your highness, how about we play a game."

It hurt.

Walking up the stairs she found Sinbad with, you guessed it, a bunch of local girls. There were eight or nine of them this time, all laughing and smiling as usual. There were two or three behind him, two on his lap and the rest just surrounding him in various places. Hakuei really didn't want to pay too much attention. She just wanted to get Sinbad, leave, then hurry back to Thomas. This time though, Sinbad wasn't really talking to any of them. His face was lost in concentration, staring off into space. It looked like he was doing his best to keep his mouth shut about something. Hakuei didn't want to know what. She didn't have time for it.

"Sinnnbaaad," one of the girls whined louder than the rest of them, catching Sinbad's attention. "King Sinbad, what's wrong? Why don't you want to play your favourite game?" Sinbad blinked. It looked like he was just realizing that they were there. But he quickly smiled at them.

"My apologies ladies. I'm just not myself today." Leaning closer he whispered something in her ear. The girl gasped and giggled very loudly, and all the other girls began begging to hear what he had said. When he did, Hakuei's stomach tightened. Again. It wasn't fair, why did she always feel that way when she saw him like that? The two of them weren't close. Why was his personal business any of her concern? Why should she care if he wanted to hang out with all the girls in the country? All wearing the cloths that showed their skin, the kind of cloths he liked. Ones that she would never be allowed to even consider wearing back in her country. Each of the girls all so innocent and happy and loud, the life of the party. Something she couldn't be if she tried.

Making it worse, not one of them had a scar. She had scars everywhere. Maybe that was why it bugged her. Her legs, arms, back was covered in scars from various battles. She was flawed. When she had been little, she had been belittled by other princesses because she was the one the one who didn't look right. The first princess didn't look like a princess. Even the smallest flaw in a princess's image was scrutinized. She had many. Countless times people had asked her if they could use her magic to heal her. Once even her cousin Kouen did, just so she wouldn't be bullied as much. But those were her battle scars. She didn't want to get rid of them, the proof of her being a warrior. That is, until she was compared to others. Then she debated her worth-

No, stop. What was she thinking? She shouldn't care, it was irrational. It wasn't any of her business. There was nothing wrong with those girls, they just led a different life than her. That was nothing to be ashamed of. She couldn't change it. Mostly she was mad at Sinbad, but there was no need to. He could do what he wanted. She just wanted to get away from him. Shaking off her feelings, she decided she needed to get back to Thomas. She wasn't uncomfortable around him. Trying to focus on Sinbad, she noticed he didn't look as carefree as he normally did. His face was tight, and he was gnawing at his teeth. He looked…angry? Great, not only did she have to deal with his girls, but an angry Sinbad to. What was his problem? As she walked closer, Sinbad saw her and his face softened. "Hakuei, what are you doing here?" like always, she just smiled, ignoring the feeling in her chest.

"Jafar wanted me to tell you that the main course is ready. All of the generals are meeting there, including Thomas." At his name, Sinbad's hand twitched a bit.

"Prince Thomas. You should address him more formally." Holding the smile on her face became even harder.

"We're good friends. I don't have to address him so formally." This time Sinbad had a hard time keeping the smile on his face.

"I thought your country didn't allow you to get so 'informal' with a prince from another country."

"They don't, but our circumstances were different." Sinbad raised an eyebrow. But instead of arguing, one of the girls spoke up before he could.

"Prince Thomas? Is that the guy that you were sitting with lady Hakuei?" Hakuei nodded at the girl with short brown hair. "We saw the two of you together for a bit! Sinbad wanted to keep checking on you and him, so we went to see to." not the smartest one though. Hearing that Sinbad had been checking up on her she glared at him. She wasn't a child that needed, 'checking up' on.

"You two looked so sweet," another girl said. "Are you two together?"

"NO!" all the girls pulled back at Sinbad's unexpected outburst. Even Hakuei jumped in surprise. The girls looked at each other nervously, unsure of what to do. Sinbad had gotten angry and annoyed at them before, but he had never yelled.

Ignoring it he suggested, "We shouldn't keep the others waiting." Gently he pushed the girls off of him so he could stand. "Ladies, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to take my leave." All of the girls started moaning while Hakuei hurried to get away. As she left, she was unable to stop herself from overhearing him reassure them. "Don't worry, I'll be back. For now, the rest of you enjoy the party!" they all cheered, and scrambled in their own different directions. Hakuei didn't look back, just continued walking. So he was going back. Fine by her. Wasn't her business.

Behind her she heard Sinbad's footsteps hurrying to catch up to her. Perfect. "Hi Hakuei. We don't have to eat dinner with the rest of the group you know. We could grab our food and find some other place to eat, just you and me." Hakuei raised her eyebrow. He was trying to get along with her? After that scene? Was he going to try and pretend it never happened? Hakuei wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"I'd like to eat with Thomas. By the way," she added sarcastically. "I think you should address me more formally. You know, because of my country, KING Sinbad." With that she hurried to walk away from him, trying to ignore the fact that if she was in another country, she would have been killed for that.

The two of them arrived at the table, and Hakuei hurried to find a spot next to Thomas. When she arrived he turned and smiled at her. "Hey Hakuei, I saved you a seat!"

"Thank you," she said politely, but when she sat down she whispered in his ear, "Thank you SOO much. I owe you one." Thomas looked confused, but he didn't say anything. Behind them Sinbad walked over to the table. When he saw the two of them he stopped for a moment before continuing. His smile a bit too wide.

"How are you two enjoying your evening?" walking over to them he pushed his way in between the two, one hand on each of their shoulders. Thomas didn't seem to notice, but Hakuei glared at him. Why couldn't he leave her alone?

"We are having a good evening your majesty," Thomas told him with his regular tone. "Your country is as lovely as ever. How about you, are you enjoying yourself?" Sinbad laughed, pulling back a bit so he was standing upright.

"Not as much as you seem to be." he mumbled quietly. So quietly Hakuei wasn't sure if she heard it. But when she turned to question about it he just smiled. Maybe it was her imagination "Everything's the same around here." Thomas smiled, accepting his answer without question. Hakuei glanced back to some of the girls who were still watching Sinbad, giggling. A small lump appeared in her throat.

"Yes. Same old," she murmured. Sinbad raised an eyebrow at her. Was it her imagination, or did she see a cocky grin on his face? He was SO dead in her eyes.

Around them his generals sat, fighting over different seats. Jafar had to pull him over to Sinbad's seat at the end of the table, which thankfully, was quite a few seats away from her. Pisti jumped into the seat on Hakuei's other side, Spartos next to her and at Sinbad's other side. Masrur sat next to him and Drakkon.

"So you two are good friends huh?" Yamu asked the two of them as she sat down next to Hinahoho and Drakkon. "I noticed the two of you talking when I was working the fireworks. You two seem really close, but your countries are far apart, right? How do you know each other?" At the question both of them blushed and turned away. Hakuei began playing with her food while Thomas rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. _How do I answer this, _Hakuei wondered.

"We met a long time ago…it was a political meeting," Hakuei began, running her hands over her fork in her hands. She worried she was going to accidentally stab herself with one of them.

"Yes, that is correct. Our countries are allied, but it was just a quick alliance made in history so that they would not go to war. We wanted to make one that was stronger so that we could work together if needed," Thomas agreed. The others didn't seem to find any problem with this, but Hakuei grew uneasy. If they were from her country, they would have seen where it was going.

"And that was when you met? During the treaty discussions?" Pisti asked happily. She was the only one who seemed to be fond of the two always being together. Probably because since he was always with Hakuei, she didn't have to worry about showing him around like she usually did. It gave her a lot more free time than she was used to and she was loving it.

"Yes, I suppose that was how it happened. Right Thomas?" He nodded at Hakuei, a smile on his face. The group noticed Hakuei fidgeting, and tried to figure out what was wrong. Nothing that he had said sounded different. Treaty, alliance, it was all normal. They wondered why she was reacting the way she was.

Until Jafar figured it out for them. "So what did your countries do to make a stronger alliance with your countries? Did you make more trading routes?" This time Hakuei couldn't even bring herself to look up, as she turned redder by the second. Thomas was the only one of the two who was able to force himself to say anything.

"Well, the two of us got engaged."

…

WHAT.

Sinbad was so surprised he spat out his wine. If it wasn't for the fact that everyone else was as shocked as he was, Hakuei would have called him out on it. "You two are engaged?" Hinahoho asked in shock, voicing what all of them were thinking.

"How long have you been engaged?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Pisti asked, feeling betrayed. Even Masrur wouldn't have been able to resist the puppy dog look that she was giving her.

"Aw, good for you!"_ No, no, no Yamu it is not cute, don't encourage it, _Hakuei pleaded with her eyes, but it did nothing.

Hakuei regained her voice and hurried to settle things. "No, we aren't engaged anymore, really. We were for most of the trip, but in the end they decided to break off the engagement, since it seemed unnecessary when they already had a set treaty." Thomas nodded beside her, taken back by everyone's responses. Hakuei got embarrassed quickly, so she rushed to change the subject. "How about we all eat okay? The foods going to go bad if we don't." At her words everyone settled down. But not Sinbad.

"How long were the two of you engaged?" when he spoke everyone but Thomas glanced at each other nervously. He had that voice he used most often during a battle. When he was trying to stay calm but could explode at any minute. Hakuei glared at him for getting mad. Didn't he see it wasn't any of his business? Then again, he could call her out on the same thing if he knew how she felt about him with the other girls. Good thing he wasn't a mind reader. Thomas had no problem with answering however.

"It was…oh I don't know…a few months? 6 maybe?" poor Thomas must have been the only one not to notice how tight Sinbad was gripping the cup in his hands. 6 months. A lot could happen in 6 months. A lot.

"But then how do you know each other," Jafar pointed out. "If you were engaged you aren't supposed to meet until after you have married, according to Kou empire culture."

"They were going to, but by then we had already met, so there was no point in trying to separate us anymore." Thomas turned to Hakuei and smiled. "And I'm glad they didn't. The trip would have been so boring if I didn't have Hakuei by my side."

By his side.

By HIS side.

Hakuei's cheeks turned pink at what Thomas had said. "Now you're just trying to be flattering. Thomas, the poor guy, was stuck with me because I was always getting lost in that big, very confusing city. Pepper-land town right?" Thomas nodded while Jafar tilted his head and thought about it.

"That city is famous for its organization." Hakuei blushed.

"W-well it's harder than people say it is." At that Thomas laughed even harder.

"Are you sure you're not directionally challenged, Hak's? You got lost a few times when you were just trying to lead me around Sindria this morning. I had to show you where everything was!" everyone laughed as Hakuei blushed even more. Why did he still call her hak's? It was endearing that he had a nickname for her, but it sounded like the sound someone made when they were throwing up. Everyone laughed at it though.

Everyone but Sinbad.

"Interesting," luckily Sinbad was a good actor, so he was able to quickly hide his out of character behaviour. "So you two must be very good friends then right? Or how would you describe your relationship?" Hakuei wanted to KILL him. Thomas was too polite, simply smiling at him before giving his answer.

"Well…I guess we are friends now…right Hakuei?" Hakuei turned to smile at him. Just being called his friend made her happy. "Or…kind of friends I guess." Or not.

"What do you mean?" Pisti asked, excited for his answer. Could she please calm down? Hakuei didn't like being the center of attention for things like this. "Do you LIIIIKKKEEEE Hakuei-chan?" Spartos quickly realized that Pisti was going too far there.

"Pisti, that's none of our-"

"Maybe," Thomas answered, silencing them all. Even Hakuei felt her tongue go limp

What had he said?

"I mean, I'm not sure," he continued, still blushing a bit. "It's possible I guess. I mean, Hakuei is really beautiful you know, and, well," he was stuttering like a child, making him look absolutely adorable. Beautiful? She never thought she was ugly, but beautiful wasn't a way she thought anyone would describe her as.

Pisti squealed in delight and continued hounding the two of them with questions, Sharkkon joining in just for the fun of it. Spartos sat back quietly, trying not to say anything to personal to the two of them. Yamu laughed and went along with it a bit, not as enthusiastic as the two of them. The four other generals though, looked at each other in surprise, understanding each other's worry though no one else did. Hakuei caught them all cast nervous glances in Sinbad's direction. Out of curiosity she turned to see how he had reacted to.

He hadn't. He was gone.


	11. Is It Love

Is It Love

Where had Sinbad gone? She didn't know. The question nagged at her for the rest of the night, though if you asked her she wouldn't admit it. She told herself he had gone back to the girls, but she didn't want to think about that. Instead she had tried to distract herself by talking to Thomas and the group. Eventually though, the question became too much to take, so she left early to go and try and find him. She never did. In the end all she had done was walked herself into exhaustion, and instead she had gone back to her room for a sleep.

A few days later she ate breakfast with Thomas in the gardens. Neither one of them spoke about what he had said that night. Hakuei wasn't ready to discuss it. So neither of them brought it up, and they had a lovely, peaceful breakfast.

At least, that's how Hakuei hoped the day would go.

It wasn't till after they finished their meals till he brought it up. "Were you uncomfortable with what I said that night?" _Is it that obvious? _Hakuei blushed as soon as the words were spoken, almost dropping the cup she was picking up. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"I-I know. Don't worry, you didn't make me uncomfortable." Lies. Even Thomas wasn't convinced at that.

"I was just trying to be honest. And if I were to continue with that…I really thought that you felt the same way to." Oh no, he wasn't doing this. What was she supposed to say? Give him the 'you're a great guy' speech? She didn't even know half of that speech! How was telling someone they were a great guy supposed to help anyway? It just said, 'hey, you're great, but not my kind of great. Sorry!'

"Look, Thomas, it's not that I don't like you. It's just…I don't really know how I feel now. We were barely adults." Thomas's head fell, and Hakuei wished that she could take it back, even if it was true. She never wanted to hurt him. But wasn't it worse to lead him on? Even if saying it was hard, it was the right thing to do.

"You used to," he mumbled. Looking up with more energy he tried again. "You used to like me. Back then, when we were engaged." Hakuei blushed thinking back to that time. Yes, she had. There was no denying that. The two of them had always been together, laughing or talking about the most random things they could think of. It had been Hakuei's first crush, (which was kind of sad, considering how old she was at the time) and she had assumed it would be her last. In her culture they try to make sure she didn't have a relationship outside if her marriage, so she never expected anything else. Back then she thought she would always feel the same way about him…but now…

"Thomas, it's been so long. We've both become really different. I'm not saying I don't feel the same way about you, but its' really unlikely, after all this time." Okay, that might have been a lie. It was always possible to still like someone after a long time away from them, but she wasn't sure the way she had felt about him had been strong enough. She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him that. "Besides, it wouldn't work even if I did like you. I'm only supposed to be with people my country arrange for it. Whether I like it or not, that's how it works." That sounded good. He couldn't argue with that.

Nope. He could. "If I ask for your country for your hand than we could." Had he actually suggested MARRIAGE? After all this time? Yes, that was the only way she was allowed to be in a relationship according to her countries rules, but that didn't mean she was ready to go that far.

"Thomas, before you go and do anything like that, maybe we should just spend some time thinking about it. It's only been a few days that we've seen each other since all those years ago. You shouldn't make a decision like that so…so drastically." Thomas thought about it for a moment, but then he nodded, and Hakuei felt relieved. At least she had fixed that problem.

"Alright. As long as that…is the only thing that's holding you back." Hakuei frowned at the pause in his voice. He seemed hesitant to say something.

"What would be holding me back?" Thomas hesitated, debating whether he should say what he was thinking. But Hakuei looked very stubborn, and he knew he couldn't get away without explaining it to her.

"I mean…I wasn't sure, it was just a theory but…I thought that perhaps you were taken by King Sinbad." Hakuei almost dropped the cup in her hand.

"WHAT?" Thomas jumped back at the anger in her voice. She didn't even acknowledge his fear, leaving herself to stew in her anger. _With SINBAD? He thought that? Why on earth would he think that I had fallen for him? We don't even get along on a regular day basis! He flirts with girls without a care. He's NOTHING like someone I would ever fall for!_ "Why on earth would you think that? I hardly even LIKE him!"

"I-I'm sorry," Thomas stuttered, trying to edge away from her anger and shock. "It was just a theory! I wasn't sure, I guessed it after the party!" The PARTY? That should have been the last place that he would have thought that she liked him. She was trying to get away from him that night, and the rest of the night he continued to avoid her. How could anyone mistake avoidance for having feelings for someone?

"Why? What could possibly have made you think that?" he shuddered and the cold air surrounding her, but at least she didn't look angry with him. Perhaps he would get out of this alive. If he was lucky. And very fast.

"Well, the two of you…just acted like it. There were only subtle things, so I could have easily misinterpreted them." Hakuei waited. "I…I guess it was when you went to get him. I mean, you looked so annoyed when you saw him with all those girls. He does that all the time, so most people are used to it, but you just looked so mad, so I thought…" he trailed off, allowing her to connect the details. Her being annoyed at him when he…no, she was always annoyed at that! Of course, she never really knew why, but it couldn't possibly be because she was jealous! That was ridiculous!

"And when the two of us were talking, I noticed Sinbad kept glancing over to check on us once in a while. At first I thought he wanted to make sure I was enjoying the party, but then he was never smiling, and he's usually such a smiling guy." She was surprised at that. He really had been checking up on her? She thought the girls had just been teasing him. He really trusted her so little? That was to most reasonable explanation that Thomas didn't seem to match together. "And then, at the party he left as soon as I said I liked you, and you kept glancing in the direction he had gone." That did NOT mean she had feelings for him! Perhaps Thomas needed to get into reality more. It sounded like he was a bit of a dreamer, that theory was completely absurd.

"Well don't even think about that. Sin-King Sinbad and I don't even get along. Besides, my sister fell for him! Considering how different I am from my sister, do you really think we could fall for the same man?"

"Um…you have a lot of sisters…"

"Kougyoku."

"…Oh." Thomas decided it was best not to tell her that, when it came to her sisters, Kougyoku seemed the most similar to her.

"Trust me Thomas. No matter what happened, King Sinbad is just too different. I hardly know anything about him, and I don't think I want to. There is no chance that I would ever fall for him."

….

"Give me back the bat!"

"Nuh-uh! Its mine, go get your own!"

"But that one is the cool one!" at the sound of pounding footsteps Hakuei new the drill. Holding her papers close to her chest she moved to the side of the hallway, allowing Hinahoho's children to run screaming past her, arguing over what looked like a baseball bat except it had two pointed spikes sticking out on each side. Two kids ran screaming to chase the third boy who was in the lead, carrying the bat while yelling back at them arguments. The usual stuff, including, 'it's mine,' and 'you're just a tattletale,' and a newer one, 'you big bully!' As they left they brought a rush of wind with them and Hakuei staggered not to drop her papers.

The stack of papers were some that Yamu had asked her to bring to Jafar in his office. Apparently they were the reports on the quality of the shield surrounding Sindria. Over the last few months there had been a lot more break-ins from the southern creatures, more than what they should have had. They weren't sure if there was something wrong with the shield or if it was just a coincidence, so Yamu had spent the last few days trying to figure it out. Hakuei promised not to read them as she brought them over, with the explanation being 'I want to talk to Jafar and Sin about it before I tell anyone else.' Well that wasn't ominous. It left a lot of unanswered questions in her head, but she kept her promise. For the mean time at least, she didn't look.

That didn't mean she was going to get them to Jafar on time. She was supposed to have handed them to him half an hour ago, but was continually stalled on her trip. Hinahoho's kids running around, Sharkkon flirting with one of the girls in her path, Drakkon bringing a troop of trainees through and even Masrur when he accidentally knocked a pillar down in her path. _Please don't let him be impatient for these files, _she begged as she tried to hurry along. Holding the papers in place and running at the same time wasn't an easy task. A few times she had to stop and run back to get some she had dropped.

"Why is all of these things happening today," she questioned. She wanted to hurry so she could get back to Thomas. He wasn't sure when he was leaving, and she wanted to enjoy the time she had with him. The last few days had been great, but she doubted it would last much longer. Rushing through the hallways she dodged oncoming servants and soldiers. If it wasn't for her shoes she would have slipped on the shiny floor, just cleaned yesterday. Speeding, she ran past one of her friends who was carrying a basket of sheets. The woman smiled at her as she ran.

"Where you off to Lady Hakuei?" Hakuei slowed down so she could turn and smile. Hakuei liked her. She talked to her like a friend even if she wasn't supposed to.

"I have to give these files to General Jafar."

"Just watch where you are going okay?" with a smile she laughed and waved to her.

"Don't worry, I am!" the women nodded and waved to her as well. At the goodbye Hakuei turned and started speeding up again.

Running straight into someone's chest.

"Oof!" the impact startled her so much that she would have fallen if it weren't for the two arms that reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. It took all her concentration to try and focus on the papers in her arms, making sure they didn't fall while the man in front of her kept her on balance. Once the two of them were set up straight again Hakuei bowed a bit as an apology. "Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention," But then she looked up to see just who she had run into. King Sinbad towered over her, watching her cautiously.

Snap. She had the worst luck.

"King Sinbad…" she started hesitantly. "Um…I'm sorry for running into you."

"Ah, don't worry about it," he told her, putting on a charming smile. "If you running into me is what it takes to see you, I'll take it." right away Hakuei's smile was gone. Him trying to see her? He was kidding right? Sin was the one who had been avoiding her! Over the last few days, ever since the dinner she hadn't been able to find Sinbad anywhere. Whether his office, or his library, even in his room in the morning, she couldn't find him. Not that she was looking of course. It was for business!

"I could say the same thing about you. Where have you been the last few days?" Sinbad looked surprised a bit, feigning innocence. Or perhaps it was really innocence. With him she could never tell.

"Me? I've just been visiting some of my citizens. A few of the local girls wanted me to…come visit." Ugh. Of course they had. "What about you? Where have you been?"

"Hanging out with Thomas." This time it was Sinbad's smile that fell. Reveeeeeeenge.

"Oh."

"Mhm. Well, I need to get these files over to Jafar about the shield, so if you don't mind,"

"I'll walk with you," Sinbad interrupted her. "If they are about the shield I'm guessing they are something that I should see as well, right?" Darn it! She opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't think of an argument. "Good. Then we'll walk." Before she could protest Sinbad turned around and started in the direction that she was going, stopping to make sure she was following. For a moment she stood there, trying to think of some kind of argument. Maybe she could fake a seizure. Unlikely.

Without a way out, she slowly trudged along to follow Sinbad, much slower than the speed she was going before. When she slowed down Sinbad slowed as well so the two of them could walk together. She didn't see why. They didn't speak for most of the walk. Both of them walked in silence, the only sound the people around them. Hakuei didn't speak because she didn't want to talk to him. She was still annoyed at him for the dinner a few days ago, not to mention how he had been spending his weekend. As for him, she wasn't sure why he didn't talk. How could she? It seemed like she never knew what he was thinking.

After a bit, Sinbad started the conversation again. "So…you've been spending your time with Thomas huh?" she raised an eyebrow but didn't turn to him.

"Yup." Silence…

"…you shouldn't." there it was.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she glared at him, though he hardly seemed to notice it. He gave her a quick shrug, showing that he really didn't care. It was so convincing, she almost bought it.

"Just take it from me. You'll just be leading the poor guy on, making him think he has a chance with you. It's cruel really, deceiving him like that." Hakuei turned and stared incredulously at him. SHE was the deceiving one? SHE was the cruel one? Again he didn't react to the stare, which made her even angrier.

Ignoring the fact that she was starting to stomp she spoke back to him in a somewhat controlled voice, "well for you information we talked about it and-hey, what makes you think I don't like him? I never told you!" Sinbad's eyes flashed to hers, and this time she could see the bit of anger in his.

"Do you?"

"Maybe," she huffed just to annoy him. "It's none of your business either way."

Sinbad shook his head, turning back to the path in front of them. "If you ask me, he's not the right guy for you. Too naïve if you ask Me." That made her angry. Probably because it was Sinbad saying it.

"Thomas is a perfectly fine man. He's polite, kind, loyal,"

"Naïve." Sinbad finished. Her fingers twitched in annoyance.

"Fine. Yes, he's Naive. But so what? It's refreshing, having someone around who hasn't seen the same things that I have. He doesn't make me worry about those things, doesn't force me to talk about them,"

"You know what," Sinbad yelled, shocking Hakuei into silence. It was his first outburst of the day. Probably not his last. Once she concentrated on his face, she saw that he didn't look as impassive as he normally did during their conversations. The anger on his face was showing, his teeth clenched and eyes wild in the light. "You keep saying all these wonderful things about this-this BOY, but all I'm hearing is you saying just how little he understands and accepts you." That made Hakuei pull back to the conversation.

"Accepts me? He accepts me, why wouldn't he?"

"Oh, so is him 'accepting' you the reason you've been trying even harder to hide all of your scars?" consciously Hakuei tugged on the sleeve of her dress. "And him not forcing you to talk about stuff? That's not good Hakuei, sometimes you need to face your problems if you want to cure them! All he's doing is help you hide from them like a coward! He doesn't understand what you've been through. And because of that he wouldn't accept you!"

"He understands me just fine!" Hakuei shouted back at him.

"Does he understand why you get so scared when you're up so high? Can he understand how scared you get when you go to battle, and how to deal with it? Could he help you feel better after you've just been through a dungeon? Does he know how to-how to help you go back to sleep after you've had another dream about Isnan hurting you when you were younger?" Hakuei's breath caught in her throat. He knew about the nightmares? Sinbad continued as if nothing was wrong. "No, he doesn't and he wouldn't be able to. Even if you told him about it, if you tried to explain to him everything, would he be willing to listen? Would he try to help you when you were in pain?"

"I don't need anyone's help!" she shouted again, her rage boiling up inside of her. "I can handle my own problems!"

"It's impossible for someone to handle everything on their own!" Sinbad yelled back. "Everyone has to be vulnerable once in a while. Everyone needs someone they can admit their fears and regrets to. Isn't that supposed to be someone you love? Aren't you supposed to be able to admit how you truly feel and expect support and acceptance from that person?" at his words it was Hakuei's turn to laugh incredulously.

"Are you joking? You're going to lecture me about love? You?" this time Sinbad raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes me. What's the problem with it?" Hakuei just laughed sarcastically, leaning back with her arms crossed in front of her chest. It finally was starting to feel like she was in control of something.

"You-you don't know anything about it! You've never been in love! What give you the right to lecture me about something that you know absolutely nothing about?" For a moment he looked actually startled. Like he hadn't really been expecting that.

"What made you think that?"

"Are you kidding?" Hakuei shook his head at him. "You are with girls all the time. Every party I see you around them. If you loved someone, how do you think they would feel seeing you with all of them? At least Thomas can be loyal, you on the other hand are never satisfied!"

His jaw clenched, tight. He held back from saying something, something that Hakuei guessed that she should have heard. Instead he said something else, with less force than he had before. "How am I not loyal? Ask Jafar, Masrur-"

"To them, you can," Hakuei waved away. "But in a relationship? You could not be in a relationship, because you can't ever love someone long enough to stay with them for more than a few weeks! You flirt and date girls all the time, but can you even imagine loving one of them? Is there anyone that you would even try living with for the rest of your life, being with her and ONLY her? Would you help her through all her nightmares, through all her fears? Is there anyone, out of all of the hundreds of girls that you have met in your journeys, has there ever been one that you would want to learn everything about and still love her through all of it?" As she was saying this, she was surprised to see his eyes soften with sadness. He didn't look angry anymore, he looked hurt. But she was too angry to care.

"…You really shouldn't talk about things you don't know about." Hakuei was absolutely furious at that point, wanting to get to the point of this issue, and END it. He really was a snake. Trying to slither his way out of everything, even something that was probably so small to him. How dare he. He didn't care about her one bit, did he? Wouldn't even give her a simple answer, ever. She had thought before that they might have been able to be friends. Perhaps she was the one being naïve.

"Something that I don't know anything about? I know more about it than you do. I know what it's like to have your heart broken, to actually love someone who didn't love you back. Have you ever felt that? Actually loving someone who didn't feel the same way?"

"Trust me Hakuei,"

"Don't call me that."

He didn't acknowledge her complaint. "I know what it's like to love someone who won't be with you." His voice held so much depth, that she almost wanted to shut up. No, no she wouldn't fall for his tricks. He was acting, just like he did before.

"I can't believe that. If you really loved someone, you wouldn't be doing this to her by flirting with all these girls."

"If I could be with her instead of all of them, I would do it in a heartbeat." She huffed angrily.

"Then why don't you?"

"I can't." Hakuei shook her head, refusing to let anything he said sink in. He always lied to her before, why would he tell her the truth then? He did whatever it took to make it sound like he was the good one. The innocent one.

"That is hard for me to believe. If you ever loved someone, how could you do this to her by being with all them? Don't you know how much this would hurt her, seeing you like that? You being charming is fine, that's part of your nature, but your dating all of them without any emotional connection. She would feel awful seeing that you with all of them. With them all around you, at every stupid party, how would she feel?" Sinbad opened his mouth to say something, but paused. Then, to her anger, a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Why princess," he slurred, sneaky and cunning, not even trying to hide it. "It almost sounds like you're jealous." Hakuei recoiled at the shock of being accused of the same thing twice in one day. And it being completely WRONG!

"Jealous? Why on earth would I be jealous? What you do is none of my business. I was just trying to prove you a liar." Sinbad chuckled, all his anger gone and her steaming up inside of her.

"Well you were doing a very bad job at it. But I find it very flattering that the first princess would think of me like that," he teased, knowing full well how angry she was becoming. She didn't bother to hide it. Her face was red, her teeth were grinding together, her hands were clenched, and she was giving him the mother of all glares. If he was normal, he would have backed off. But he wasn't. he was Sinbad, and he seemed to LOVE teasing her.

"Let's get one thing straight here King Sinbad. I will NEVER think of you like that."

He just smirked. "Never say never princess."

"Never! You're cruel, a liar, a flirt, nothing like someone I would like! Thomas is! I mean, I turned him down when he asked for my hand, but that was because it has been so long-"

Oops.

"Thomas PROPOSED to you?" Sinbad's jaw had dropped open, and his eyes had gone wide. Hakuei gulped audibly, and her face blushed from embarrassment instead of anger. She hadn't meant to say that. It was personal between her and Thomas, and he'd only suggested it carelessly. She hadn't meant to make it sound like he had been proposing.

"N-no, he was just suggesting it when we were talking."

"What did you say?" he interrupted, making her glare at him.

"I don't think that is any of your business!" His golden eyes glowed in anger, and a bit of worry.

"Right, cause it's none of my business if you go off marrying some random boy that you don't love just so that you can have a way to run away and avoid all of your problems! What did you say?"

"He's not a boy, and I'm not running away from my problems! It's none of your business!"

"I command you to tell me!" Darn it!

"I told him that we should take some time to think about it," she replied automatically, cursing herself and the bracelet. Sinbad's eyes became as wide as plates, looking more surprised than she had ever seen him in her few months on the small country.

"That's not a no." Hakuei huffed.

"How very observant of you."

"Were you CONSIDERING saying yes?" In reality, she hadn't been. He had been completely irrational bringing up something like that after all that time, and only having seen each other for a few days. Of course SINBAD didn't have to know that.

"Maybe. I don't know." Finally it looked like she was getting under his nerves for once. Sinbad glared at her and his voice rose a few octaves.

"What do you mean, 'I don't know?' you want to marry HIM? Why on earth would you want to marry him?"

"Why not? He's a perfectly fine man!"

"Not for you he isn't," Sinbad argued back.

"And who would be huh? You?" Sinbad glared at her, but didn't give her an answer. The two of them stayed there, frozen in their anger. They might have stayed that way the whole day, if it wasn't for their interruption.

Jafar had found them. "Um…your majesty?" both of them swirled around to see the advisor, standing there in surprise. He looked shocked at what he had just seen, and both of them panicked wondering just how long he had been standing there. Luckily for them, he didn't acknowledge it. "I…Um…The papers?" Hakuei, seeing her way out, dove for it immediately.

"Here." She pushed the papers into him, making him stumble a bit. She felt bad for that. It wasn't Jafar she was mad at. Spinning around she allowed herself one last glare at Sinbad. "How about next time you need to deliver some of these to your king, you ask one of the girls that he was visiting to bring it to him." Sinbad didn't respond, and she didn't stick around for him to get the chance. In a huff she turned and stormed away. As Hakuei left with steam shooting out of her ears, she overheard Jafar speaking to Sinbad.

"Visited a few local girls? Why do you lie to her about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"We both know that you weren't with any of the girls this week."

**Hey guys. Next weeks chapter might come late. Sorry, and I hope you enjoyed this one!**


	12. Stupid Dress

Stupid dress

"HAKUEI! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THIS FATE!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

"MEET YOUR MAKER!" Yamu stopped in her tracks and stared at the scene in front of her. Hakuei was running, missing her shoes, makeup and hair undone, with a crazed Pisti chasing her so fast she looked like a big ball of yellow and white. And Yamu had been planning on having a nice, relaxing evening as she got ready for the party later. As she ran, Pisti jumped at her and landed on her back, knocking the two of them to the ground. Hakuei wriggled in protest, but Pisti sat on her back and was too heavy for Hakuei to escape. "Ha! Your mine now!"

"What are you trying to do?" both girls looked up at Yamu who just stood above the duo. Pisti smiled and waved at her.

"Hi Yamu! Do you want to help me? I'm picking Hakuei's outfit for the party tonight." Oh. Everything made sense again. Hakuei mouthed up at her, _help me! _Yamu had expected this moment to come. Not so late, but eventually. It had already been months since Hakuei had arrived and Pisti had been impatient since the first day to play dress up with her. Nothing could stop the small women now. NOTHING. "Do you give up yet?" she asked her, sitting cross legged on her back.

"N...no!" Hakuei tried to push her off unsuccessfully, and Pisti laughed the most evil laugh that she had ever heard.

"Don't try and resist! The more you do, the more fun it will be for me!" Yamu wasn't so sure about that. It looked like Pisti was getting really annoyed trying to find Hakuei a dress that she thought was appropriate to wear. Yamu sighed and leaned down to whisper in Hakuei's ear.

"Don't bother. She's going to do this anyway. If she gets to pick it now, she'll never do it again." Hakuei just stared at her friend. WHY wasn't she HELPING her?

"Come on Hakuei! It will be fun! Don't you remember the last designs I showed you?" OOOHHHH she remembered. They were inspired by some of the local PROSTITUTES. Yes, her country would be so happy with that, she couldn't wait for the day that they found out and was sent to the rope. It would be a wonderful day. "They are even better than those ones!" oh goody.

"There is no way I am wearing any of those cloths to the day I die! And it probably will be the day I die! There is no way I would ever wear those cloths!" Pisti sniffed at her, annoyed.

"Such a prude. How can you be so innocent and still be such a ruthless fighter?" the innocence of battle was much different than clothing styles. Even if her country wasn't against it, she didn't want to wear it. They made her uncomfortable. It felt like they were attracting attention, and she did not want to be the centre of attention! It was awkward, all those people watching her. "Besides, these styles are different than the last ones! They are more modest than the last ones that I made! Sharkkon thought they looked good!" that was Sharkkon, and that wasn't very reassuring.

"No! Thomas is going to be there!" that just made Pisti beam.

"All the better!" oh drat. Hakuei knew that she had to find some way out of this. Or the best idea would be to try and convince her friend to give her something to wear that she was comfortable with.

"Look Pisti, I'm sure that you could try and design something that I'm comfortable with, if you really are as good at designing cloths as you say you are. I'm fine with tighter cloths, but I'm not comfortable with the little amount of clothing!" Even that was a big step for her kingdom. For a moment the younger girl thought about it.

"You sound like our king when you try to be all deceptive like that." Darn, she was caught.

And hey! "I am nothing like Sinbad!" Yamu and Pisti both drew back a bit in surprise. The two girls looked at each other analyzing her words, than turned back to her.

Both of them looked disappointed. "Did you have a fight with him again?"

"No.…Yes." Yamuriha sighed and shook her head while Pisti laughed all the more.

"Wow, you two don't get along very well do you? You're just like Yamuriha and Sharkkon." Hakuei had already figured out just how the two of them really felt about each other. Relating that to her and Sinbad she felt insulted. But knowing that Yamu would quickly deny it, she let it go. "What did the two of you fight about this time? Was it the drawing again?" the magician looked confused, but Hakuei answered before she could say anything.

"Let's just say we have a…difference of opinions in how people work." Yes, because that wasn't vague, great going Hakuei. Luckily the two of them knew better than to push her when she was being so vague. Well, Pisti didn't, but when she mentioned Sinbad, it made little stars appear in her eyes.

"Oooo…I just had a wonderful idea for your outfit." Terrific. They were back on that subject again. "Aw, come on Hakuei, please! I won't get off until you do! If you do this for me, I'll do something for you!" Hakuei thought about that offer for a moment. She could work with that. As long as she could think of something that Pisti would be too embarrassed to do, than she wouldn't have to fulfill her side of the deal.

"Okay, fine." Yamu's mouth dropped open as Pisti cheered. "Under one condition!"

"You name it!"

"If I promise to wear whatever outfit you give me you have to…confess to Spartos." It seemed like the world stopped spinning. Yamu gasped and jumped back while Pisti froze as cold as ice. It seemed that discussing who others liked in that country was alright, but no one really made them do something about it. It might have been out of respect, but Hakuei was used to trying to make people act to help them out. Everyone seemed to think it was cool…unless they were the ones who she was making do something.

"AH! You meanie! Don't bring Spartos into this, you weren't supposed to say anything about that!" she screamed, slipping off of her and stomping on the ground. Trying to suppress her cocky smile she stood up and crossed her arms across her chest. Hakuei was never to be taken lightly.

"Well that's my condition," Hakuei spoke as she stood up and brushed herself off. Matching Pisti's position she crossed her arms in front of her head and tipped up her chin. "Take it or leave it."

"But I don't wanna," She moaned, the blush beginning to turn her face into a red tomato. She really was confused at why it bugged her so much. Spartos already knew, just didn't tell her because he knew she wasn't ready yet. Honestly Pisti, could she make it any more obvious? Following him around, always inviting him when she was playing a game, trying to get him involved. Gosh. She probably shouldn't be questioning it. It was working in her favour.

"Then if you can't tell me, I guess that I don't have to wear one of your outfits. So come get me when you,"

"FINE!" Hakuei froze.

"….What?" Pisti was still turning red, but she had her hands at her sides clenched into fists of determination. Uh-oh. That wasn't a good sign.

"I…I'll confess to him later. At the party, but not when everyone is around! Yamu, promise to make sure Sharkkon doesn't follow us?" Yamu nodded, just as shocked as Hakuei was. Taking a deep breath she puffed up her chest in confidence. "Than yes, I'll do it! It's about time I did it anyway! I shouldn't hide this from him." _He already knows… _"This is great! I get to finally tell Spartos the truth while picking Hakuei's outfit as a confidence booster! This is going to go great! I mean, if Spartos says he likes me back. Oh, wait, what if he doesn't? What if he says I'm too young for him? Or to short! No, no, that's not fair!"

Shaking her worries off her smiled back at her friend. "Let's not worry about that now! Come on, let's go pick your outfit!" Pisti turned and ran to her room, leaving Hakuei standing there with her mouth dropped open.

Yamu sighed and shook her head at her. "We tried to warn you. Nothing can stop Pisti."

...

* * *

><p>"….Well?"<p>

"…"

"What do you think?"

"…NO!"

"You promised!" Pisti moaned as Hakuei turned to go and change.

"Don't you DARE make me go out in public in…this?"

"But it looks so good on you!" Pisti ran over to her and grabbed her hand and tried to pull her back. Hakuei just pulled back more, and the two found themselves in their own version of tug-a-war. Except Hakuei's arm was the rope, and she felt like it was going to come off. Unlike cloths, she didn't think she could sew it back. There were some things that she knew she shouldn't try.

"Pisti, you know that I am uncomfortable with wearing stuff like this! I thought you said you were going to try and make something different!"

"Yes, but then you mentioned Sin, and it gave me an idea! It's not really original, but I think it looks great!" No, no, NO! It did no0t look great! "Come on, you promised!"

"I promised to wear an outfit that you picked for me, I didn't promise to wear something that could get me burned at the stake back at Kou." Pisti huffed and crossed her arms at her.

"Now you're just being ridiculous." Nope, she was pretty sure she was right. And if they didn't, she would. There was no way, in the entire world that she was going out in public wearing the outfit that she was wearing in front of the mirror at that moment.

How it was related to Sinbad though….she understood. It was defiantly something that the girls he was always around would wear. It was blue, the same colour as her eyes. But the style wasn't good. It was a dress, which she guessed was Pisti trying to make it more appropriate. But it only had thin straps, showing off the many scars she had on her arms. And it had a low back showing off the scars on her back as well. Not to mention how short it was. Not even when she was 5 years old when she would try and wear her brother's cloths as costumes had she worn something that short. If it was longer…with sleeves and a back she would have been fine with it. But, it didn't.

To add onto it, Pisti had also picked her jewelry, shoes and done her hair and makeup. She wore a simple silver necklace with blue jewels on it to match the dress. Her shoes were black flats that showed off the ankle ornaments that she had made her wear. Since Hakuei never had much time to wear makeup, she tried to make the makeup very simple. The hair was alright, she had done it up in a bun with her bangs that were usually done up swept down and to the side. But the whole thing together it just…She couldn't wear that!

"Oh come on Hakuei, you said that you were okay with wearing tight cloths!"

"The fact that it's tight isn't the problem! You realize that there is hardly any actual clothing here right? I don't wear this little when I go to bed!" Even her nightgown had a longer skirt! She remembered when she was little once she had tried to be like the other girls and dress up in a costume. Being so proud of herself for starting to fit in she had gone to show off her outfit to her older brother Hakuyuu. Little had she known, the outfit that she had worn was a dancer's outfit. When her brother had seen it…she still remembered his words to that day.

'I don't CARE if everyone else is wearing it, you are going back to your room and getting changed RIGHT NOW YOUNG LADY! And if I EVER see you wearing cloths like that again you are going to be grounded for the rest of your life DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?'

Her brother was probably turning in his grave.

"Pisti, the party's already started!" She heard Spartos call to them from the hallway. Smirking Hakuei turned to Pisti who had started to turn red. It was her revenge. "Aren't you two ready yet? Can I come in?"

"Yes Spartos, it is alright," Hakuei called to him, ignoring Pisti shaking her head no. the door opened and Pisti let out a little squeal. At least someone else was starting to feel the same pain that she was. Well, maybe not the same, but close enough. Embarrassment, but for different reasons.

Spartos walked in the room, but unlike Hakuei, Pisti had an easier time hiding her embarrassment. She spun around to give Spartos a normal smile. "Hi Spartos! What do you think of Hakuei's outfit? It's really cute right?" Turning to Hakuei he was about to complement her outfit but when he saw it and his mouth dropped open.

"You…your culture…you can't wear that!" Hakuei threw her hands up in the air.

"Thank you!" Pisti just glared at her.

"Well she promised she would wear it. Besides, she's not in Kou anymore, so there's no problem with her trying to wear it now." Spartos didn't look like he was really convinced. He gave Hakuei a look of pity that she was glad someone gave her. Then he frowned a bit.

Under his gaze she felt uncomfortable. "What?"

"N-nothing. It's just…" he brought his hand to his chin to focus on her. "You…well, the dress makes you look shorter."

Hakuei frowned and looked down at it. "Really?"

"Yes. Well, I can tell that you're not actually that height, but when you just see you the dress makes you look shorter as well." He turned to Pisti pointing at the dress. "Pisti, do you see it to?"

Both of them turned to her and shuddered. Pisti was wearing her innocent, happy smile. But it was too innocent. To bright, to creepy. "Does it? I hadn't noticed." Then she showed her teeth and Hakuei could swear they were growing sharper by the second. "What a happy accident." The younger women really was a lot more devious and evil than people made her out to be.

Shaking the fear off Spartos turned back to Hakuei with a sympathetic smile. "Are you sure you want to go out in that? If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to." the look from Pisti said that she really did. Sighing she covered her face. The last night Thomas was going to be there she was going to have to hide from him. Great.

"No, it's alright. It's only one party, I'm sure I'll survive." Turning to the both of them she pointed at them. "But this does NOT get back to anyone from the Kou Empire. And the only people who know about it are the people I talk to. Only the generals, a few people at the party, no one else. Especially not King Sinbad." Both of them held their hands up innocently.

"Mums the word," Pisti zipped her mouth shut with her hand. "But won't Sinbad find out about it anyway? He's going to be at the party." Hakuei sighed and shook her head. She was going to make sure she didn't have to talk to him. This time it was her turn to avoid him.

...

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for her to find out that Sinbad didn't have any plans of seeing her either. Halfway through the party she had spent a few hours with most of the generals and hadn't seen the king the whole night. She wanted to ask someone about it, but didn't want to give off the impression that she really cared. It nagged her in her head, though not that she didn't know. What nagged her was that he was likely hanging out with some of the local girls, assuming that she was jealous of it. Even if he had been just teasing her, the idea was still in his head. And he might not have thought it as impossible as she did.<p>

"Yo, Princessssssss! Ha, that's like a sssnakke!" she glanced up from where she was sitting to see Sharkkon stumbling over to her, half drunk. The girl on his right was keeping him steady, while the other was holding his glass of wine on his left. He was a lot like Sinbad in that way she realized. Except she didn't know if he dated any, as far as she had seen, he'd only drank with them. "How you enjoyin' the partieee!" Definitely drunk.

"Yeah, it's fine. Have you seen Thomas anywhere?" he struggled to take a seat on the couch next to Jafar, his two girls on the other side.

"Eh, I think he was talking to a dragon and his wife. Er, sorry, Drakkon. That's right. Anyway, he's gonna come over in a bit." Hakuei nodded, not sure if she should listen to his advice while drunk. When he started having a laughing fit she glanced over to one of the girls for confirmation. She nodded, so Hakuei guessed that would be the best answer she would get. The girl turned back to Sharkkon, giving him his drink. Sharkkon took the drink with a big grin on his face, taking a long swig and laughing to loud.

That made her wonder about Yamu, who sat at her side. She knew how Yamu felt about him, even though it seemed like Yamu herself hadn't figured it out. How was she able to deal with his flirting all the time? She'd probably been bearing it longer than she had. Hakuei glanced over at her to see her reaction. Yamu didn't even look at him, talking and laughing with Pisti and Hinahoho about an incident with her magic. Either she was ignoring it on purpose, or she really didn't mind. Was it just her? Hakuei cringed at that thought, hands tightening around the cup of tea she had in her hands. Why did she care so much about what Sinbad did when she didn't even care about him? By all reasonable thoughts, Yamu should have been more disturbed by Sharkkon's actions than she was by Sinbad's.

Maybe she did feel the same way that Hakuei did, but didn't say anything because it wasn't her business. Like Hakuei SHOULD have done. Why must Hakuei always pick fights with the people that were the worst ones to pick fights with? She always called out the problems of people in authority, people above her socially, the people that she should NOT be bothering. Her brothers used to say that she had no filter, and just said what she thought. Maybe that was why she was having a harder time than her. Perhaps she should ask…no, that wouldn't be right. For one thing, Yamu would deny everything. For another, if she did feel the same way Hakuei did, it wouldn't make her feel better by bringing it up.

Sharkkon gulped down his drink than focused harder on Hakuei. "Yo, princess, you look great! Were you always that short though?" Hakuei gave him a small smile. At least she was around the generals when she was wearing that. They all knew about her culture, so they didn't dwell on how it looked. But more than that, they were her friends, and they respected her enough not to react to it at all other than to tease or ask a few questions. At his question she shook her head.

"The dress just makes me look smaller Sharkkon. I'm the same height as ever." Sharkkon frowned, narrowing his eyes at her as if trying to figure out if he really believed her or not.

"You sure? Wow, that's so weird. I'll never understand girl's fashions." He shrugged, deciding to give up on the matter. "Pisti finally caught you though huh? I thought she'd be chasing your 'round forever for her to get you to wear one of her designs. What made you finally crack?" at that Hakuei grinned evily, and Pisti felt her skin crawl.

"Let's just say I have something in the mix." Sharkkon looked confused, but Hakuei didn't pay attention. Pisti glanced over at Hakuei with a nervous expression, and Hakuei winked back at her. Than she shifted her gaze to Spartos, off getting some drinks, and back to her. Pisti turned pale, realizing that it was time for her to say something. Shaking her head no, Hakuei nodded her head in argument. Yamu noticed what they were doing and giggled to herself.

Everyone was turning on Pisti that night. As Spartos got closer, Yamu called to him. "Hey Spartos! Pisti wants to tell you something!" Pisti looked like she was going to die. Hakuei felt guilty…nah. Spartos blinked easily and headed over to the circle of his friends, taking his regular seat on another couch facing Hakuei and diagonal from Pisti.

"Alright. What is it?" everyone turned to Pisti, all of them confused but Hakuei and Yamu. They had silent smirks on their faces, while Pisti started regretting ever having female friends. Spartos tipped his head to the side innocently, his red hair falling so that she could see both of his eyes. "Is everything alright?" She gulped.

"Y-yeah! Everything's fine! I just was thinking that you really need to have a lot more fun at these parties. All you do is talk to people and bring the drinks over. You never dance, or flirt or anything!" Hakuei was beginning to wonder if Sinbad had trained in the art of 'avoiding uncomfortable topics.' Spartos bought the whole thing, rolling his eyes and taking a sip while the others laughed at the joke. Yamu gave Hakuei a look, but both of them decided to let it go.

Shaking her head, Hakuei leaned back on the couch and pulled her legs up to her chest. She felt like an idiot for not asking to at least be given tights. Her scars caught her attention, even when she did all she could not to look at them. None of them hurt anymore. She was even a little proud of some of them. A few had funny memories. One that was on her shoulder was when her brother had tried to learn to cook and accidentally dropped the bowl when she was looking for something in the lower shelves. Her brother had made sure to become an excellent cook after that. But memories like that made her sometimes consider that maybe having scars weren't that bad. Sure, some of them had more…painful memories. But they taught her lessons with every one of them. They were a part of her, made her different from others. what was wrong with that?

_Because other people don't see it that way. _

Her face fell, and she forced herself to look away. That was always the problem, wasn't it? Worrying about what other people thought. Why did people have to care so much about what she looked like? She knew it was because it reflected on her country, but why should other countries care that she looked different? She'd asked Hakuyuu that once when she was younger. He'd said, "Because humans are always searching for something that is impossible to achieve. Perfection. That's what people aim for, and if you don't meet those standards, you're flawed." She didn't understand what he had said. How can not being perfect mean that you're not enough? No one was perfect, why would they criticize someone for not being that?

Shaking her head she tried to get her mind off of it. Instead she tried to tune into the conversation that the others were having. It didn't help much, her head always veering to a topic she didn't want to think about. Sinbad being a jerk, Thomas's proposal, what she was wearing, her scars, and once or twice how much she missed her siblings. Sometimes she literally tried washing the thoughts away by taking another sip of her tea. It didn't help when she ran out. It was as if her luck was running out.

Than it really did.

"Hey, Thomas my man!" Hakuei felt the blood disappear from her face when Sharkkon said that. She spun around to see Thomas's figure coming up the stairs slowly. There was some of his subordinates on either side, one a little drunk. Thomas looked up at Sharkkon and gave him a wave, but his eyes wandered the group to search for someone else. Hakuei wasn't sure if it was her, but she didn't want to wait to find out. As soon as he started looking in her direction, she ducked behind Hinahoho. He looked back at her, confused, and she held a finger to her lips to silence him.

"Sh!" she whispered. For a moment he watched her. Then, he just shrugged and took another sip of wine.

"Meh. Not the first time someone's hid behind me." Hakuei raised her eyebrow but didn't say anything. Instead she peeked over his shoulder to watch Thomas as he walked over to the group. Consciously she tugged at the edge of her skirt, willing it to be longer. The cold air sent shivers up her spine, and her exposed skin worried her more and more. The generals may have been fine with seeing her wearing something so small, but she did NOT want Thomas seeing her wearing something like that.

Waving, she caught Spartos's attention and he slipped into the seat next to her. "I need to leave," she told him. He blinked confused.

"Um…Alright. Goodnight I guess." She glared at him and he shut his mouth.

"I MEAN without letting Thomas see me." Spartos's eyes widened in realization. He turned to Thomas, coming closer, then back to Hakuei.

"Oh." If she didn't have to be quiet, she would have given a few choice words at her predicament. Spartos, finally coming out of his surprise, hurried to intercept his path. "Prince Thomas, it is good to see you. How are you enjoying your evening?" all of the other generals looked at him in surprise, Thomas himself giving him a strange look. Spartos had never been the one to volunteer to talk to strangers. But it was enough of a distraction for Hakuei. Pulling away from Hinahoho she slipped off of the couch, setting her cup down on the table. Trying to be inconspicuous, she tried sneaking away from the group.

But to do that, she had to pass Sharkkon.

Who, as a reminder, was drunk.

"Hey, where you goin' princess," he slurred very loudly. "It's the middle of the party!" under her breath she cursed to herself. His words called the attention of Thomas who turned his head towards her. Dang it! Ignoring Spartos's attempts at trying to start a conversation he walked past him and headed over to Hakuei. She cringed at the sound of his footsteps, and searched for some kind of escape. There was none.

"Hakuei, I've been looking for you! Where have you-" he cut himself off when he saw what she was wearing. Hakuei gulped and tried to stand up straight. Pisti giggled and held onto Yamu's arm in glee, while all of the other generals watched in confusion.

Desperate, she tried to talk so that he wouldn't pay attention to what she was wearing. "Hi Thomas, I wasn't avoiding you. Really, I wasn't, I was here the whole time. Are you enjoying the party," she tried, but he didn't respond. His eyes had widened as he looked her up and down. It made her blush a little bit. A part of her hoped that he wasn't paying attention to the fact that she was wearing something she shouldn't be. Actually, thinking that he wasn't made her a little peeved at him. If that wasn't the reason, then he should have stopped staring! "What are you looking at?"

"N-nothing it's just…I never knew how many scars you had."

Hakuei's chest tightened. Around her all of the generals became silent, even Sharkkon who had been laughing before kept his mouth shut. It felt like her world had just collapsed around her. She knew that would happen. She had just forgotten, with all that had happened, that her scars would be showing. Self-consciously she rubbed at her arms as if she could make them all go away. Thomas couldn't look away from the long one on the inside of her arm. Darn it. There was a reason her country always made her wear such long cloths. Her personally, because they didn't want others to see her scars. The flaws of their first princess, out in the open.

Unable to look him in the eyes she turned to stare at the one on her hand around her wrist. "Yeah I…I fight a lot. I've had a few enemies I guess," She trailed off, afraid at the way he was reacting. Absolutely stunned. And though he didn't show it, she wondered if he was repulsed.

"…Your sister fights as well…and other countries warriors…but they don't have scars." Hakuei winced, the reality of that hitting her. She had fought in real battles from a younger age than they had. She hadn't done as well at defending herself. Not to mention the dungeon, and the battles against al-thamen. They had all taken their toile. Kougyoku probably did have scars to…just not as prominent as hers.

The two of them stayed there in silence for a moment. Until Sharkkon decided to try and help. "Hey bro, you haven't finished your drink yet! Come on, you can't just leave beer this good unfinished!" Thomas turned and smiled at him, trying to forget what he had just seen.

"Oh yeah. Ye-yeah, sure." As he walked over people started talking again, all a little quieter than before. Thomas turned and tried to smile at Hakuei. It wasn't his normal smile though. He was having a hard time seeing her the same. When he looked at her, she noticed that he was trying very hard to not look at her skin. Not out of modesty though. He didn't want to face her scars. "Are you coming Hak's?" feeling her heart begin to shatter, she shook her head. She really hated that nickname.

Thomas just shrugged and let her walk away. She headed over to where Spartos, Pisti, Jafar and Yamu were sitting. Wordlessly Hakuei took her seat next to Yamu and she put her hand on her shoulder, not sure what to say. None of them did. Hakuei wasn't even sure she knew what she wanted to hear. Perhaps the silence was best.

Pisti seemed to find something to try at least. "I…I'm sorry for making you wear that," She stuttered, feeling a wave of guilt crash into her. "N-none of us really care about your scars so I…I didn't even think about it. I forgot that Thomas, considering where he's from, might have a different view…I'm sorry." For a moment Hakuei didn't look up. Part of her was mad at her. Mad that she had forced her to wear such ridiculous clothing, being the reason that Thomas saw her scars, and possibly ruining the way that he sees her. He might not even want to have anything to do with her anymore.

But it really wasn't her fault, even if Hakuei didn't want to admit it. And Hakuei was too exhausted to be angry. "Let's just not talk about it." but she couldn't look her in the eye when she said that. The others all tried to say things to try and cheer her up, but she couldn't hear them. The only words that she could hear going through her head were the ones that Thomas had said to her. _I never knew how many scars you had. _And the look on his face when he saw her. Shocked. Surprised. Disgusted.

"Actually guys, I think I'm going to go for a walk. I'll see you in a bit okay?" without waiting for an answer Hakuei got up out of her seat and left the area, feeling all of their eyes on her as she left. But luckily, they all knew better than to call for her to come back.


End file.
